Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness
by MandoCommander
Summary: Set between The Forgotten Droid and The Mystery of Chopper Base. As the first Rebel base continues construction, the crew of the Ghost receive a mission to tread deep into Imperial territory to recruit a potential ally. However, some of the most respected individuals in the Empire and beyond are also on their way. This mission will test the Rebels and their bonds like never before.
1. Chapter 1: Converging Paths

**Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: A rewrite of my first Star Wars Rebels story, which I decided didn't go the way I had envisioned. Set after The Forgotten Droid but before The Mystery of Chopper Base. This story will center around a separate mission that does not affect the continuity of the show.**

 **I figured that a few months is more than enough time for the Imperial Inquisition to select a new Grand Inquisitor, so I created my own. The general plot will be his introduction into the series combined with an equal level of development with the more familiar faces on the** ** _Ghost_ , including both the pairings Ezrabine and Kanera as the story progresses.**

 **I also will be introducing familiar characters on both sides from the Original Trilogy and popular EU content including but not limited to the famed Heir to the Empire novels by Timothy Zahn.**

 **Warning: The flashback in this chapter contains depictions of character death as well as blood and gore. Be advised if you are sensitive to such content.**

Conflict in the Outer Rim! As the growing Rebellion continues its difficult task of freeing the galaxy from the tyranny of the Galactic Empire, a daring and bloody prison riot erupted on the mining colony of Kessel. Prisoners from across the galaxy attempted to overthrow their Imperial overseers, and it was all for naught. The arrival of a relentless and gifted enforcer of the Sith saw the uprising mercilessly thwarted, the sheer swiftness and brutality outstanding even by Imperial standards. With yet another victory chalked up, this masked champion of the Dark Side returns to his fleet over the colony…

 **Chapter 1: Converging Paths**

 _Many years prior:_

 _In the dungeons of a Hutt palace deep in the swamps of Hutta, Evocii slaves wasted away in chains down in the dark, damp dungeons that made up the basement levels. In a lone cell, a lone child, a boy, sat on a narrow bench, looking down at his feet in silence. He wore tattered beige and brown rags, bore deep red eyes, had golden yellow skin, and dirtied black hair upon his scalp. His gaze turned up as the door flew open, a Gamorrean guard tossing in an older man, the boy's father. Rising to his feet and dusting himself off, the older slave gave his son a sad smile as the guard behind him snorted and closed the door before leaving. The boy spoke up._

 _"_ _Since you don't have any new scars, papa, that means you completed your work?"_

 _"_ _I did, son. Don't worry, you know Master Droda only has slaves who fail him tortured," The older man sad reassuringly, as best he could. His son merely frowned._

 _"_ _Mama should have been done by now, she started her shift before you did."_

 _Walking over to his son and sitting down on the bench beside him, the older slave rubbed the back of the boy's unkempt mane, attempting to soothe his worry._

 _"_ _I'm sure she'll be back soon. You know how much she can't stand to be apart from you." He gave his son a genuine smile, and the boy returned the gesture weakly._

 _Both Evocii turned their attention to the door as it flew open again. This time two Weequay thugs had arrived, and they said nothing as they clapped both slaves in shackles before pulling them along and out of the cell. The two slaves said nothing, this was the routine when Droda the Hutt wanted to have his living property brought before him. This time, however, they were being led to the beast pens. Recognizing the hallways they were being led down, the older man spoke up._

 _"_ _What's going on? Where are you taking us?"_

 _"_ _Silence, worm! Behave, and maybe you'll live," one of the thugs barked back, harshly._

 _"_ _Was Master Droda displeased with my labor? Please, allow me the chance to correct my mistake, and spare my son any harm!" The second of the thugs turned around and bashed the slave over the head with the hilt of his vibroblade, knocking him to the floor in a yelp of pain._

 _"_ _Papa!" the boy cried. The thug who felled his father yanked said parent up by the collar and spat in his face._

 _"_ _Keep that filthy hole in your face shut, you walking piece of trash! You'll obey, or be fed to the Gundarks!"_

 _The slave merely nodded in affirmation, even as blood from the blunt wound to the head ran down his face. The two slaves were led to the beast pens, and forced to their knees in front of one of the barred doors that led into the arena floor. Both of their eyes widened as they saw a woman Evocii, beaten and bloodied as she lay on the floor in the ring. She was the boy's mother._

 _"_ _Mama! No!" The child called out to his mother, who was just conscious enough to turn to face her child. She was unable to utter a word._

 _"_ _What's this about?! Please, don't do this! Spare her, I'll do anything! Send me in her place!" The father pleaded with the thugs, who merely detached his chains from his son before grabbing him. The first one wasted little time voicing his ire._

 _"_ _We have a better idea, you join her and your precious little child gets to watch!" The second of the thugs drew his blade and slashed the older man's throat as the door lifted up._

 _The boy shrieked in horror before the first thug kicked him back. The second one hurled the dying older slave into the beast pen before the door closed again, and this time the other doors opened. The two thugs grinned and laughed at the sight. Starving Gundarks swarmed into the arena, devouring the tortured Evocii parents alive as their son was forced to watch the carnage. The boy began crying hysterically as tears poured from his eyes, much to the irritation of the two Weequay thugs. The first one grabbed the boy's chains and dragged him to the door as it opened again._

 _"_ _Your turn, you pathetic little vermin!"_

 _The boy was thrown into the pit as the Gundarks finished consuming the flesh of his parents. The door closed again as both thugs resumed their laughing. Tears streaming down his face, the child lifted himself up slowly as the Gundarks turned their attention to him. His sorrowful and fearful expression shifted as the creatures neared. His face morphed into pure rage as his eyes turned golden yellow with black pupils. The boy yelled out in a heart stopping scream of anguish and fury. The Gundarks stopped and the thugs behind the door stopped their laughing as they observed with wide eyes, startled at this turn of events._

 _Dark Force energy surged all around the boy, the intensity so great the shackles and chains broke apart, freeing the enraged child. Glaring at the Gundarks, he wordlessly inserted his maddening torrent of emotions into them, and they took on enraged expressions that eerily echoed his own. He then turned back to face the two thugs, who began to walk backwards in shock as the Gundarks moved to flank the little child they were attempting to dispose of only moments prior._

 _Outstretching his right hand, the boy gave his silent commands, and the Gundarks swarmed the door, infused with Dark Side energies. The extra power was all the creatures needed to tear through the durasteel bars and lunge at the two thugs, who cried out in horror as they were quickly set upon, their weapons insufficient to deal with the hungry and enraged pack. They were torn apart and devoured alive, and the boy watched as a twisted and satisfied grin took shape on his face. This was only the beginning. Seizing a gladiator's halberd stored on a weapon rack in the arena through the Force, the boy commanded the frenzied Gundarks to seek out a feast. The entire palace would be purged before the vengeful boy was done. His eyes radiated nothing but hatred and lust for blood. He would have the crazed Gundarks feast until the creatures burst apart from within._

* * *

The Present:

Amongst the stars over the war-torn prison and mining colony of Kessel, a large asteroid with a dark history of slave labor under an artificial atmosphere in the Outer Rim of the galaxy, drifted the Imperial Fourth Fleet, a formation made up of _Resurgence_ Star Destroyers, _Victory_ Frigates, and _Marauder_ Corvettes. The impressive and formidable armada had just received word of total victory on the surface below, full suppression of a violent revolt that had been ruthlessly crushed by the Empire and its immensely overwhelming military supremacy. At the head of the fleet was a top of the line Star Destroyer named the _Furious Vengeance_ , and a lone shuttle approached the central hangar bay under armed escort from two TIE fighters.

The fighters dispersed as the shuttle entered the force field and landed in the aft hanger, its ramp extending to allow a contingent of troopers wearing black painted markings on their otherwise all-white armor to disembark and stand at attention on either side of the bottom of the ramp, forming a small pathway between their two formations. A lone man walked down the ramp next. He was clad in dark black robes with matching cape, gloves, and boots. His hood was up and a matching half-mask covered the lower half of his face, leaving only his crimson eyes, pitch-black eyebrows, and the paled yellow skin around them visible. A custom-constructed lightsaber was clasped on his belt at the left hip, while a familiar second lightsaber with a curved handle was clasped on his right. Once between the two formations of troopers, the man was met by an officer in the familiar grey and black uniform of the Imperial higher-ups, who immediately stood at attention and saluted in respect, his gloved hand on the brim of his grey cap. The male human spoke as he proceeded to place his hands behind his back while remaining at attention.

"Grand Inquisitor, sir, welcome back to your flagship. We just received an urgent transmission from Coruscant, and Vice Admiral Thrawn asked me to tell you are needed at the main control room immediately, sir."

"Very good, Commander Piett. I shall make my way there immediately. I can sense who requires my presence from here," the man replied in a voice that was a mixture of calm, emotionless, and knowing.

Within a few minutes, the Grand Inquisitor had arrived at the control room behind the bridge, greeted by blue-skinned and red-eyed Chiss male with neat, jet black hair. He wore a similar uniform to Piett but more decorated and missing any headwear, signifying his own higher rank. He saluted the Grand Inquisitor as well and spoke up.

"Sir, welcome back aboard. Soon after your shuttle left the surface we received a transmission from the capital. Sir, it's from Lord Vader."

"Thank you, Vice Admiral Thrawn. Indeed it is… my master summons me, I can sense him even all the way out here. Clear the control room immediately, Admiral. This is between him and myself, alone."

"Of course, sir, as you command."

With the Vice Admiral gone and the doors sealed, the Grand Inquisitor kneeled as the holoprojector activated, revealing the individual on the other line, Darth Vader. His eerie, mechanized breathing echoed through the room as she Sith Lord stood back at the Imperial Palace on Coruscant. The Grand Inquisitor addressed him, first.

"Lord Vader, you honor me. What is the will of our Emperor?"

"Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist, word has already reached Coruscant of your success in crushing the revolt on Kessel. The Emperor is most pleased, and asked me to give you his gratitude," as Lord Vader spoke, the Grand Inquisitor grinned beneath his mask.

"Praise from the Emperor himself is high praise indeed. I was certain to make a thorough example of those degenerate, treacherous swine who dared resist our order. But if I may, my master, would I be correct in assuming there is more to this than just a commendation of my work?"

"You would be, because there is. Tell me, are you aware of the situation on Ord Mantell?" Vader asked his esteemed subordinate.

"Many of the locals began protesting Imperial military presence in their system, and these demonstrations began to turn into full-scale riots against our garrison in their capital."

"That was the situation before you left for Kessel. Things have further deteriorated. The slack-jawed wannabe-revolutionaries took it upon themselves to overthrow the governor and take both him and his staff hostage. They are issuing demands under threat of further violence and secession. It goes without saying that the Emperor did not take kindly to this turn of events. He wants the dissident hill folk suppressed and brought to heel, and he wants you to do it," as Vader finished, the Grand Inquisitor took a moment to contemplate his first move before replying.

"A delicate situation like a hostage crisis requires precision… I have an idea in mind. Did the Emperor give any specifics for this operation?"

"The Emperor would prefer that the governor be recovered alive, so that his failure can be addressed in person. That aside, you are free to use any methods you deem necessary. The local garrison is holding out against the uprising at the moment, but they are trapped within their base in the capital. You are to break through the insurgents and rendezvous with the base's commanders, both two decorated officers by the names of General Jan Dodonna and Colonel Maximillian Veers. Coordinate the counterassault with them however you see fit."

"I will leave as soon as we finish up here, before the rotation ends, my lord. Tell our Emperor that the Fourth Fleet will be in orbit of Ord Mantell before the end of the week."

"Very well."

And with that, the Sith Lord and the Grand Inquisitor finished their holocall, and the latter activated the commlink built into the table to summon the attention of the Moff and the Fleet Commander.

"Gentlemen, we have new orders from the top. Vice Admiral Thrawn, report in at once and call up the ISB. Premiere Director Isard and his staff have the full list of contacts I intend to reach out to. Commander Piett, alert the fleet and recall all ground forces. Make haste, we'll be departing for Ord Mantell within one standard hour."

* * *

Across the stars on the remote, Far Rim world of Atollon, the growing Rebellion had just broke ground on construction of their first planetary military base. The barren, desert planet that they had found courtesy of an Imperial protocol droid who defected with the help of Chopper and the rest of their compatriots on the _Ghost_ was far from any hyperspace trade lanes, and the accompanying Imperial patrols along with them. Construction of the main facility was underway, as were the various landing pads, the first two constructed for the _Liberator_ and the _Ghost_.

As various welding droids and laborers continued to tunnel and piece together the facility, build into a cliff face not far from a scouted source of groundwater, a certain teenaged, blue-haired padawan found himself in the medical bay on board the _Liberator_. The base's own medical facility still in the early stages of construction and far from ready to treat any patients. After a medical droid had finished cleaning and patching up the young man's wound, his master, Jedi Knight Kanan Jarrus, entered the room. Ezra had sensed the approach of his teacher, and gave him a sheepish smile as he entered.

"Oh hey Kanan, how're things going outside?"

"Construction is proceeding at a steady pace, same as yesterday. Now, as for you, just what trouble did you get yourself into this time?" Kanan asked his apprentice as his voice took on a serious tone.

"Oh, nothing major. Hypernailer accident, that's all," Ezra tried to write off his mishap while attempting to help in the building as no big deal, but Kanan merely crossed his arms as the medical droid cut in from where he was typing on the diagnostic console.

"The young organic was fortunate the nails went into him just under the ribcage. If they'd been forced in just a little higher, or lower, he would have been in much worse shape," naturally, the padawan didn't take kindly to being ratted out.

"Hey! I didn't ask for you to explain it to him!" Ezra barked while sharply turning his head to glare at the droid.

"My programming is to diagnose and provide treatment for organic patients, not keep secrets," the droid explained as-a-matter-of-fact. Ezra groaned as he lay back down. He looked back over to Kanan who merely sighed before walking over to the bedside.

"Ezra, having confidence in oneself is good, but pride can often blind the mind to reason. If we let our own perception of ourselves cloud our judgement, we're only risking more harm than good."

"So we're starting Jedi training earlier today?" Ezra teased.

"I'm serious!" Kanan snapped in irritation. Ezra merely chuckled at how easy it was to push the buttons of his master.

"Whatever happened to, 'there is no emotion, there is peace'?" Ezra prodded further as he recited that verse of the Jedi Code with a devious grin. Kanan grumbled as he rubbed his temples in frustration before turning to speak to the medical droid.

"How long will it be until he's ready to leave?"

"Oh come on, Kanan, really, I'm fine," Ezra tried to reassure his master, but the droid made his recommendation known.

"The young organic, Patient: 2210: Ezra Bridger, will need to remain in bedrest and under surveillance until 06:00 hours precisely, tomorrow morning, local planetary rotation time. Any strenuous activity runs the risk of his injury reopening until the all clear is given."

"Ugh! Seriously?" Ezra griped in an impatient tone.

"Sorry Ezra, medic's orders," Kanan agreed with the droid.

"Can he at least have something to eat and drink?" the three looked over to see Sabine entering the room, carrying a tray with a meal from the _Liberator_ 's galley. The droid replied as she did so.

"Yes, that is acceptable within diagnostic parameters."

With the go ahead, the young Mandalorian handed the Padawan the tray, and she didn't miss the way his face shifted to a delighted grin.

"Hey, thanks Sabine. Didn't expect this to happen."

"Don't read too much into it, kid. I was on my own lunch break over at the mess hall and figured you might want something, too," Sabine told her slightly younger friend flatly, who wasn't ready to let this go, yet.

"You do know you're only about a year older than me, right?" once he finished speaking as he leered at her, the teenaged Mandalorian merely rolled her eyes and turned to exit the way she came.

"And you do know I'm leaving now, right?" she called back to Ezra from over her shoulder, and then she was gone.

As Ezra dug into his lunch, Kanan leaned back against the wall, having kept his head angled off to the side with his arms crossed once again. The droid took notice and turned to ask the Jedi Knight a question while the former remained stationary at the wall terminal.

"Was that what organics commonly refer to as 'awkward'?"

"Yes, yes it was," Kanan replied.

"I see, very well then," and with that, the medical droid returned to his routine.

* * *

Later that day as the sun began to set, Kanan was summoned to the command room on the _Liberator_ , where Hera, Ahsoka Tano, and Fleet Commander Jun Sato were waiting for him by the holotable. As they turned to face him, Hera chose to address her teammate first. Her voice carried both seriousness and a bit of uncertainty.

"Glad you could make it, we just received an important, encoded message. Ahsoka succeeded in cracking the security, and we found something kinda big," as the Twi'lek pilot finished, the Human commander chimed in next.

"Tell me, Kanan Jarrus, are you familiar with the name Jan Dodonna?"

"Jan Dodonna? I've heard the name. He was a Republic military strategist during the Clone Wars, and promptly gave his loyalty to the Empire when the war ended," Kanan explained, not sure where this was going. Ahsoka elaborated for him, next.

"Well, his loyalty to the Empire may be at an end, if the message is truthful. Supposedly it is from the man himself, currently in charge of the Imperial garrison on Ord Mantell. It says he wants to defect from the Empire and bring vital intelligence along with him. However, Ord Mantell is at the moment currently embroiled in an open revolt against the Empire and the capital city of Worlport, where his base is located, has descended into open warfare in the streets."

"I think I know where this is going," Kanan sighed as the words registered in his mind. Sato confirmed his suspicions immediately.

"General Dodonna is a brilliant strategist and a respected military leader throughout the Empire. Such a defection could be instrumental in discrediting Imperial officials across the galaxy, and perhaps even inspiring like-minded individuals in the Empire to join us," as the Rebel commander finished, Kanan noticed a flaw in the plan.

"What are we supposed to do? Just storm an entire Imperial base already under siege to search for one officer who may or may not want to join us?" with his concerns voiced, he listened as Hera clarified for him.

"Not quite. The message says to contact the leader of the growing resistance movement, a former advisor to the Imperial governor by the name of Eiten Aygo. Supposedly Dodonna has been in contact with him and giving him information on how to keep Imperial forces off-balance throughout the planet. Dodonna has trusted him to aid in his defection. We have the coordinates of Aygo's primary hideout in the capital. We should be able to infiltrate the area without too much trouble given the chaos."

Kanan merely sighed again, but Hera smiled knowingly. The man wouldn't be turning this down even if he could.

"When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning, so get some rest dear," the Twi'lek pilot told the Jedi Knight with a smile, to which he nodded in a likewise expression.

Tomorrow was when it all would begin…

 **A/N: Please review, I welcome all feedback. I put considerable thought into each chapter and thus I value the thoughts of my readers. :)**


	2. Chapter 2: Desolate

**Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: A most sincere thank you to all my readers, most certainly those who reviewed, and everyone else who is currently favoring and/or following this story. It is support like your own that truly and really makes it all worthwhile.**

 **Chapter 2: Desolate**

It had been three days since both Imperials and Rebels had received their missions. The afternoon sun shined brightly in the sky over Worlport, the capital city of Ord Mantell. The coastal resort community stood on the edge of the ocean, nothing but rolling seas toward the horizon beyond the sandy beaches and the durasteel promenades elevated over the water. Countless restaurants, shops and boutiques, hotels and casinos, and pretty much every entertainment venue imaginable dotted the cityscape within the shoreline.

During the vacation season, the city was typically packed with tourists from across the galaxy seeking an escape from their daily lives, with countless locals catering to the industry such vacation-seekers provide. Now however, the sky over the city lacked the sounds of bustling city life and holiday merriment, for instead it was shrouded in smoke billowing from the destruction that plagued the streets and buildings below. Whenever night fell, instead of the glow of lights from windows, streetlamps, and holosigns, the glow came from the scattered fires that still burned from the scars of war. Indeed, it was civil war that had descended on Worlport and engulfed the city in a matter of hours less than a week prior, transforming the popular vacation hub into a battlefield.

It was this disheartening and miserable hell that the _Ghost_ flew down towards, making way for the spaceport in the northwestern boroughs. The complex was riddled with carbon scoring from blaster fire, and the main entrance facing the city had been blown open, signifying the uprising had been fought in and around the spaceport as well. The emergency blast doors on several of the hangar bays were sealed, but Hera expertly navigated her starship to a bay that was still open. The charred wreckage of a planetary shuttle was still smoldering on the floor to the left side, so the experienced Twi'lek pilot carefully maneuvered her vessel to the side, touching down without difficulty. The crew wasted little time in disembarking, knowing time would be of the essence, and still uncertain how the locals would take to their sudden appearance in their war-torn city. Ezra was the first to speak as everyone scanned their surroundings.

"I know we're at war with the Empire and everything, but I can't ever imagine something like this happening to Lothal. From above, the entire city looked like it was burning not long ago," the young Padawan lamented, clearly unprepared for the carnage of urban warfare.

The older members of the crew, Sabine included, could only think back to times when they had seen a sight like this before. War had never been far from any of them. Kanan placed his hand on the shoulder of his apprentice in a sympathetic gesture.

"Your first actual battlefield is never an easy experience. Just stay close to us, Ezra. It may not be easy to tell from friend or foe this time around."

"According to the report from Ahsoka, our contact from the resistance should be waiting for us in the main lobby further inside the terminal. The rest of you go on ahead, Chopper and I need to run some diagnostics and keep the _Ghost_ secure," Hera informed the others. She exchanged glances with Kanan before nodding to him in affirmation, which he returned.

"All right, but remember we'll contact you as soon as we reach the hideout," the recently-anointed Jedi Knight told his longtime partner.

"I'll await your transmition," the Twi'lek replied professionally, but with a glimmer of assurance in her eyes as well. Kanan's reflected the same.

Once outside the hangar bay in the terminal concourse, Sabine activated the lamp on her helmet to help illuminate the way. If electrical power was still connected to the building, it certainly wasn't being used for any of the lights. Various benches, advertisements, vendor stalls, and fake foliage lay broken and strewn about the place, indicating fighting had been intense indoors. More carbon scoring marked the walls, and deep and thick blast marks on the walls and floor as well signified grenades had gone off.

"This place is too quiet, I don't like this one bit," Sabine commented as she and the others continued cautiously making their way down the concourse.

"No kidding. I'm not getting a good feeling," Zeb added warily.

After another few minutes of uncertainty and careful treading, the four finally arrived at the forward lobby, which was illuminated by the sun pouring in from the blown out entrance and a rather large hole in the roof. To their surprise, they found the expansive room to be empty just like the rest of the premises, save for a lone human male who sat by himself on one of the benches. Noticing their movement out of the corner of his eye, he stood up to greet them.

"I take it you must be the offworld rebels I was told to meet. I sincerely hope for your sake that you are, for my comrades aren't exactly in the mood to play host at the moment."

Kanan, Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb carefully eyed the stranger as he walked over to them. His modestly tanned face and summer blonde hair were matted with grime, sweat, and a light stubble. White bandages covered wounds on his right cheek and left hand. He wore simple civilian garb under an outdated tactical vest, one of militia quality. His boots were clearly designed for farm work as opposed to the life of a soldier. A modest utility belt complete with a holstered blaster pistol was firmly wrapped around his waist. This was all a clear sign he was an active fighter in the growing resistance movement. Kanan stepped forward first and moved to shake the man's hand, who returned the gesture.

"Well, we are the rebels you're looking for. Kanan Jarrus, Jedi Knight," at his words, Kanan watched as the stranger's eyes went wide at the revelation, but the latter didn't recoil back or anything of the sort. Eyeing Kanan's lightsaber, he merely smirked. His tone carried a hint of enthusiasm.

"A Jedi Knight you say? Well, well, nobody's seen one of your kind around these parts in quite some time. I've never had the pleasure of meeting one of you either, until today. If you're even half as good as the legends of old say you are, our leader won't need much persuading to help you folks out on your secret mission," as he finished elaborating, the man shifted his focus to Sabine as the teenage Mandalorian moved to interject.

"Wait, this Aygo we're supposed to meet up with hasn't even agreed to provide assistance yet? We thought this was all taken care of," Sabine eyed the grizzled resistance fighter skeptically.

"While it's true Lieutenant Governor Aygo is more than willing to help General Dodonna escape the Imps, his primary focus remains the cause of the people of Ord Mantell. We're all determined to make the Empire listen to us at long last. Our voices won't be denied any longer!" the man stated in an almost rehearsed tone, but one that carried passion and conviction nonetheless. Ezra gave a light smile despite himself. This cause was one that hit close to home for him, in more ways than one. Sabine couldn't help but smirk herself under her helmet, not missing the look of admiration on her younger teammate. Zeb however was beginning to lose his patience.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Are you gonna show us to your hideout or not?"

"Yes, those are my orders after all. Please follow me, we'll take my speeder. It's right outside," the man explained as he turned as gestured for them to follow as he kept his gaze on them from over his shoulder.

"What's your name, by the way?" Kanan asked as he and the other three followed him towards the entrance.

"Kavir Oslan, special operative to the Ord Mantell Freedom Coalition. If you folks are anything like the holonet has been saying, I have a feeling we're gonna get along just fine, offworlders," the agent of the resistance said with a grin as he led his new allies outside.

* * *

Distant lightyears away within the beautiful chaos of hyperspace, the entirety of the massive armada that was the Imperial Fourth Fleet was steadily approaching their destination after having just entered the star system. The Grand Inquisitor was absent from the bridge on his flagship, the _Furious Vengeance_ , leaving the equally-respected Vice Admiral Thrawn in charge of the deck officers. The Chiss male was silent as he calmly and elegantly walked back and forth up the central walkway inside the forward room, the twin ducts on both sides occupied by officers on their consoles. Only hyperspace was visible outside the various viewports around them.

Further back in the command tower on the top of the line Star Destroyer, inside a dimly-lit chamber, Grand Inquisitor Dunkel Nachtgeist was on his knees with his head bowed in absolute reverence. His crimson eyes were closed and his gloved hands clutched a set of wooden prayer beads. In front of him was a candlelit shrine decorated in various antiquities and ceremonial tools of his people, the Evocii. This included totems, masks, idols of Evocii past, and even tribal weapons forged out of salvaged materials from the Hutt-trashed swamplands.

"Blessed ancestors, heed my call. I go now on another mission to bring glory on your behalf to all of our people. It is my sincerest wish that this glory will sustain our brothers and sisters back home until the Promised Day arrives at last. Revered and exalted mother and father, I will not fail you. Never again. Blessed ancestors be with me, for I am here for us all."

Rising to his feet, the Grand Inquisitor gently placed the prayer beads upon the shrine in utmost respect, and with a single swat of his hand, he extinguished the candles with the Force. He turned to leave in silence. It didn't take long for him to arrive on the bridge, where his adjutant remained on-duty.

"Grand Inquisitor, sir, welcome back. We are approaching our destination now," Vice Admiral Thrawn replayed to his superior.

"Indeed my friend, indeed. I want this blockade done by the book. As soon as we exit hyperspace, execute Occupation Maneuver Alpha-9," the hooded Evocii relayed his instructions.

"Excellent choice, sir. You heard him, men. Prepare for sublight maneuvers," Thrawn called out to the officers.

"Yes sirs!" the uniformed Imperials all replied in unison as they saluted before returning to their consoles.

Hearing the clang of metal feet on a metal surface, both the Grand Inquisitor and the Vice Admiral turned back to face the control room, and the source of the sudden disturbance. The Grand Inqusitor grinned beneath his half-mask, and the Vice Admiral commented to him.

"A most intriguing addition to your ranks, sir. Imagine the stories this one could tell," the Chiss was fascinated by the acquisition of this more recent asset.

"You speak the truth, Vice Admiral. Droid, are you ready for your new assignment?" the Evocii inquired with his personal assassin.

"Statement: Yes, master. HK-47 is ready to serve," the ancient and lethal mechanized killer replied immediately.

* * *

Back on Ord Mantell, Kavir had been expertly piloting his open-top landspeeder through the ravaged city streets, Kanan riding in front beside him with the others in back. Finally as they neared the shoreline, the main hub for the Freedom Coalition came into view, the Ruby Sanctum Worlport Hotel and Casino, a beachside luxury resort and part of a galaxy-wide commercial chain. The rectangular building was marked and divided by three octagonal towers, two at both ends and a larger one in the middle. Not even this glamorous complex was spared from the scars that plagued the rest of the city.

"Lovely building, isn't it? Even prettier when not covered in burned-out holes and blaster marks. That's where you'll find Lieutenant Governor Aygo. Whenever he's not at the government building across the city keeping watch on the prisoners, he's directing our efforts from there."

"The people of Ord Mantell really respect the guy, huh?" Sabine inquired as she leaned in from her seat in the back row.

"Oh for sure! He's been championing our cause for years! He can be a bit rough around the edges, so fair warning and all that, but he has the best interests of us all at heart," Kavir explained readily.

"Anyone willing to fight the Empire for the good of others can't be that bad," Ezra wasn't fazed.

And soon enough, the speeder came to a stop outside the front doors, the group disembarking and heading inside. Two armed guards stood watch in the entrance, a Human and a Twi'lek wearing similar getups to Kavir, but using stolen Imperial blaster rifles instead for armament. They nodded at their comrade and their guests as the group walked on in, silent permission to enter.

The inside of the hotel was a significant improvement from the interior of the spaceport. Furniture gathered from around the building as arranged in a makeshift barricade inside the lobby, intended for frontline defense in the event of an attack. Gold, marble, and deep red was the primary color scheme everywhere around the lobby and elsewhere. A series of turbolifts that stood just before the entryway to the casino were still in service, and Kavir promptly led the Rebels into one that shot straight up to the luxury penthouse at the top of the central tower.

"Remember you guys, Lieutenant Governor Aygo isn't sold on helping your mission just yet. Just present yourselves as you did to me and explain your reasons for your mission, and I'm sure he'll agree to assist you," the blonde operative told the others as the lift ascended.

"We'll be charming," Kanan half-joked, to which Ezra smirked, but Sabine and Zeb both rolled their eyes.

* * *

As this was taking place, above the planet everything was about to change, for in an instant the Fourth Fleet dropped out of hyperspace and immediately began moving to wrap around the planet in a full military blockade. Down on the _Ghost_ , Chopper began chirping in binary from his console on the wall in the cockpit, alerting Hera to what he had discovered.

"What?! Oh no, not now!" the Twi'lek pilot sprinted out the door and from her ship, hurrying over to the edge of the open hangar bay, looking up with a pair of rangefinder binoculars. Her suspicions were confirmed as she could clearly see the hundreds of Imperial warships enter Ord Mantell's orbit, taking up blockading positions just outside the atmosphere. "Kanan, Ezra, Sabine, Zeb… I think this just a lot more complicated," Hera muttered to herself, unable to tear her eyes away from the awe and terror-inspiring display going on above the world.

 **A/N: Once again, a most sincere thank you to all my readers, especially those who favored, followed, and/or reviewed thus far! I honestly do hope to see more from you all. :)**


	3. Chapter 3: March of the Empire

**Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: Another sincere thank you to all my readers, especially all of my reviewers, favorers, and followers! Now without further adou, I hope you enjoy this latest installment. :)**

 **Chapter 3: March of the Empire**

As the Imperial Fourth Fleet moved into position in orbit of Ord Mantell, a full-scale planetary blockade, Fleet Commander Piett was inspecting the formation of troopers ready to board a dropship to the surface in the forward starboard hangar bay on the flagship, the _Furious Vengeance_. Off to the side was the dropship being prepped by engineers for their use. While the standard armor of a Stormtrooper was polished white armor around a black bodysuit, these troopers had the distinction of black stripes and other markings disrupting the white paint. They were the Imperial 338th Infantry Legion, one of the few remaining divisions in the Imperial army to be entirely comprised of traditional clones.

While initially the Emperor had discontinued the production of more clones after the Clone Wars and in the wake of the short-lived Kamino Uprising, fearing the perfect soldiers may one day be used against him as they were the Jedi, persuasion from influential voices in his inner circle allowed him to agree that special operations divisions like the 501st would retain their composition of clones from the greatest Mandalorian warrior in recent history, Jango Fett. Both the Grand Inquisitor and Vice Admiral Thrawn were pleased to count the 338th as the pinnacle of their ground troops, and their commander was himself a veteran from the Clone Wars. Upon his completion of inspecting the troops, Fleet Commander Piett approached the trooper in front, the orange pauldron over his left shoulder signifying he was the commander of the legion.

"Commander Alpha, formerly of the Advanced Reconnaissance Clone division, impressive display as always. I approve your troops as battle-ready," Piett spoke as he informed the clone officer, who wasted no time giving his affirmation.

"Acknowledged, Commander Piett! We're ready to deploy as soon as the orders come down," as if on cue, Piett reached up to his commlink relay in his left ear as a transmition came through.

"As you command, sirs!" the Imperial officer replied swiftly before shifting his attention back to the troopers, just as the massive dropship to the side opened its loading doors, "The fleet is in position, and the Grand Inquisitor and the Vice Admiral have made contact with our garrison in Worlport. Forward ground and armor divisions are to deploy immediately and establish a perimeter around the city. You are not to engage the insurgents for the moment unless you are fired upon. You will be acting as field commander until further notice, Commander Alpha. Is that understood?"

"Of course, sir!" the veteran clone replied without any delay. Turning to his men, he gave his own orders, "You heard him, men. Into our ride! Move it!"

"Sir yes sir!" the cloned troopers replied in perfect unison.

And just a few minutes later, the dropship maneuvered out of the hangar bay and joined other vessels of the same type from the other bays, eight in total all under escort from six squadrons of TIE fighters. The hulking transports moved down into the atmosphere flanked by their escorts, heading straight for pre-designated landing zones on the outskirts of Worlport. A lone _Victory_ frigate had broken from the blockade just long enough to enter the upper atmosphere and deploy a large number of Imperial gunships, which could not be launched from their hangars in space. The airborne armada quickly had the war-torn city surrounded, the dropships proceeding to their landing zones without hindrance. And once they set down on the hills overlooking the cityscape beyond them, their doors opened and ramps extended, allowing the 338th and three other infantry divisions to disembark along with Scout Trooper units on their speeder bikes, and both AT-DP's and AT-ST's. The Scout Troopers and TIE escorts combed the grasslands further away from the city while the gunships flew over the city itself, analyzing the scene below and recording visual data to transmit back to the fleet. Soon a mobile command station was set up for Commander Alpha and his lieutenants to operate from, directing the forces on the ground. It wasn't long before Worlport was surrounded by land and air, the Empire severing the capital from the rest of the continent.

* * *

As all this was taking place, inside the luxury penthouse at the top of the center tower in the Ruby Sanctum Worlport Hotel and Casino, the Rebels had been introduced to Eiten Aygo. The brown and beige-haired Bothan wore a set of stolen Stormtrooper gauntlets and shin guards along with a stolen Imperial officer's chestplate, boots, and utility belt draped over his more formal administrative dress pants and shirt. A black eyepatch obscured his left eye, but his sky blue right eye was still visible. Having observed the arrival of Imperial reinforcements along with everyone else in the room, he was visibly upset at this turn of events.

"What a remarkable coincidence that within an hour your arrival to our city, a massive Imperial armada drops out of hyperspace and has us completely surrounded in a matter of minutes!" he glared viciously at his guests as he growled through his barred teeth. Kanan stepped forward to rebuke the accusation.

"With respect, sir, it is coincidence only. Come on, think about it, the Empire was bound to send its forces to back up the garrison, here."

Ezra warily eyed the armed guards around the room, silently awaiting the orders of their leader. Sabine and Zeb both took up fighting stances and kept their hands on their weapons, ready to strike if needed. Kavir stepped forward next to back them up to his superior.

"Lieutenant Governor, sir, I really don't think these offworlders are spies. I've read the reports on the holonet, they fit the descriptions. They also seem genuine. Perhaps we can give them the benefit of the doubt, right, sir?" the blonde resistance operative respectfully requested of the middle-aged Bothan, who after a long, tense moment sighed and relented.

"Fine, you have a point, Kavir."

"Sabine, Zeb, stand down," Kanan ordered, and his teammates obeyed. Ezra decided to speak up, next.

"Things just got a lot more complicated. If we're going to come out of this ahead, we'll need to work together," Kanan couldn't help a light smile that formed at the twinge of pride in the words of his young apprentice, and the Rebels didn't miss Eiten Aygo as he nodded in agreement.

"Yes, you're right, Human, in more ways than one. Unfortunately, the arrival of Imperial reinforcements does complicate matters considerably, but I can't imagine them making a serious move while I still have the top political officials on this planet as collateral. Stand by, I'll contact General Dodonna and find out if he's ready for his 'abduction' from the Imperial base."

Aygo walked over to a visual screen on the wall, linked by computers to the Imperial base. Activating it and tuning to the link himself, the Bothan soon established contact with the older man on the other line. He was an aging Caucasian Human with a full mustache and beard, black but severely greying in color. He wore the standard grey and black uniform of an Imperial officer, his rank plaque decorated with enough bars to signify his rank as a Major General, among top brass in the Imperial army. He spoke in a firm, gruff voice, signifying his years among the higher ranks of the military.

"Lieutenant Governor Aygo, I am pleased to hear from you. I wanted to warn you that reinforcements were incoming, but I'm beginning to worry our deception may be falling apart. Colonel Veers is demanding more of my time for the most menial of tasks in the base. I think he may be growing suspicious of me. Please tell me the Rebels arrived before the fleet in orbit did."

"Fear not, General Dodonna, it seems your would-be saviors are here with me. They just narrowly missed our newer arrivals. I take it you want our plan to proceed immediately?" Aygo inquired respectfully of his ally.

"Yes, that would be best. If anything, my sudden 'capture' may help tip the scales back in your favor. I would like to speak with these Rebels before we begin," the older general informed the Bothan, who nodded in affirmation before gesturing for the four Rebels to come over.

"General Dodonna, I'm Kanan, and this is Ezra, Sabine, and Zeb. We'll be 'capturing' you today," the Jedi Knight informed the would-be defector as he motioned to his team, and finished with a smirk. The general returned the gesture before replying.

"Good to meet you, I've heard and read a lot about you and your cause. I am most eager to join you. Lieutenant Governor Aygo will be guiding you on your mission to infiltrate the base. But before we begin, there's something I would like to tell you all," the older military officer told his would-be rescuers, asking for their ears before elaborating.

"What is it, general?" Ezra asked respectively, his focus undivided.

"I understand you may have suspicions and misgivings, and I cannot blame you. I have been with the Empire for a long time now, and I truly believed I was doing my duty to the people as I had with the Republic. But you know as much as I have come to realize that the Empire is not the Republic, and the people of the Galaxy are not better off under its rule. All I want now is to do my part in setting things right, and if you will have me, I will serve your cause of liberating the people of the Galaxy to the end of my days if need be," General Jan Dodonna told the Rebels with utmost sincerity. Ezra smiled in approval as he understood, and Sabine did too under her helmet despite herself. Kanan gave a solemn nod as well. The teenage Mandalorian gave her reply.

"I was an Imperial cadet for a time, general. I understand being taken in by the promises of order and peace the Empire makes, only to realize the truth later. If you are as sincere as you sound, I think you'll fit in well with the Rebellion," as she finished, Ezra had his own words to say.

"I agree, completely. Anyone who wants to stand with us is welcome, regardless of past affiliations," the young Padawan chimed in support.

"Let's get you out of there, general. Our ship is waiting at the spaceport," Kanan informed the older gentleman.

"Very good, I'll await your arrival. Aygo, my old friend, I turn this over to you," General Dodonna said as he turned his gaze to the rugged Bothan, who nodded in affirmation.

"Understood, general. We will begin immediately. Aygo out."

"Dodonna out."

* * *

As Dodonna cut the transmission from the viewscreen in his private chambers, he heard a knock at the door. Heading over to open it at a brisk pace, he discovered his own lieutenant waiting on the other side, Colonel Maximillian Veers. The textbook Imperial officer stood at attention in respect, saluting his superior officer, who returned the gesture.

"At ease, colonel. What do you have to report?" Dodonna asked his younger subordinate.

"General Dodonna, sir, the Grand Inquisitor's shuttle just touched down at landing platform B-2. We'll be needed in the command room immediately to meet with him, as he is the duly appointed representative of the Emperor in charge of quelling the uprising," Veers stated informatively and as a matter of fact, the tone of a well-drilled officer.

General Dodonna nodded without giving away his thoughts, which were those of uncertainty. He'd never met the new Grand Inquisitor, but having been in the company of Darth Vader before, the experienced veteran had seen a glimpse of what a practitioner of the Dark Side was like. He remembered the moment at once and gave his reply.

"Of course, let us go then, colonel. Time to settle this madness once and for all."

After Dodonna stepped out of his room, the door closing behind him, and began to steadily tread down the corridor towards the command room, Veers eyed him warily, the look in his eyes suggesting he knew something was amiss with his commanding officer.

"Yes, time to settle this indeed… general…" he whispered under his breath before following. Truly, much was about to be decided.

* * *

A few city blocks to the north of the Imperial base stood the Fabrico Worlport Chemical Processing Center, linked via underground pipes and tunnels to the company refinery and factory further south from the base. Together the two structures made up the largest medical serum and combat adrenal manufacturing center in the sector. Mined gasses were taken to the processing center where the physical particles were extracted before the chemicals were funneled over to the refinery and factory where they were cleaned and synthesized. With the civil war going on in the city, of course production had ground to a halt, leaving the two facilities empty with their machinery shut off. The network of pipes and tunnels, vents that normally pumped toxic and noxious chemicals between the two buildings completely unfit for skin to skin contact in their un-synthesized form, were for the moment completely hollow, the residue not even enough to invoke illness. And as structural layout would have it, these pipes and tunnels went directly under the Imperial base in the city above.

It was for precisely this reason Aygo had chosen the underground tunnels as the point of infiltration to the Imperial base directly above. Simple lock breaking and slicing was all it took to get inside the processing center. Accompanied by a team of elite Freedom Coalition operatives, Kavir Oslan among them, Aygo led the Rebels down through the narrow maintenance passageway and down into the tunnels. It was pitch black down below. Aygo and his men had their own flashlights, and Sabine used the floodlight on her rangefinder. Both Kanan and Ezra drew and activated their lightsabers as well. All around them were stilled fans used for funneling the chemicals, currently shut off. The smell in the tunnels was not pleasant, and Zeb was the first to voice his opinion.

"Ugh, the stench down here is repugnant! How long have these vents been cleared of fumes, anyway?" the Lasat warrior asked abruptly as he griped. Aygo answered without looking back as he continued leading the way.

"It's been over two standard weeks since our takeover of the government. All businesses within the city ceased operations within twenty four standard hours. These tunnels have been in service for decades, only shut off at brief intervals for routine and emergency cleaning and maintenance. What you're smelling is the stubborn chemical residue that remains stuck to the walls around us. It's foul-smelling, sure, but it's not toxic enough to cause us any harm."

"I've smelled the lovely fragrance wafting out of Ezra and Zeb's cabin on laundry day. This isn't much in comparison," Sabine added drolly, causing both the young Padawan and the grizzled Lasat to stammer in embarrassment. A couple of the resistance operatives snickered to themselves at the display.

"How much further to our entry point to the base?" Kanan asked Aygo, keeping the focus on the mission.

"About a couple hundred more feet. Then you and the boy can use your lightsabers to help us cut a hole through from above us. If our calculations are correct, we should be entering the base in a sublevel storage room, a good distance away from the barracks and anywhere else where most of the Imps will be dug in," Aygo said as he replied sharply.

* * *

Meanwhile inside the base above, within the command room, General Dodonna and Colonel Veers stood face to face with the Grand Inquisitor and HK-47, the ancient assassin droid scanning his surroundings in silence, his head moving back and forth slowly. The Grand Inquisitor gave no hint of his own thoughts away, his crimson eyes studying the two high-ranking officers playing host to him and his personal assassin. He had just completed his inspection of the base and had some misgivings to provide. His voice was cold, stern, and devoid of emotion. His tone was, no pun intended, inquisitive.

"This is an impressive outfit you have maintained, General Dodonna. Your forces are well-drilled and substantially organized. Nevertheless I feel compelled to ask given this display, how did you lose control of the entire city with the one exception of this base?" with this query from their honored guest finished, Colonel Veers gave a glance to his superior officer, finding himself eager for an answer himself before Dodonna provided one in a calm, explanative tone.

"With all due respect, Grand Inquisitor, the uprising caught all of us completely off-guard. We had been trying to contain the protestors as they grew more violent, but the coordinated effort that was led by the betrayal of Lieutenant Governor Aygo ensured that Governor Marensioun and the rest of his staff were illegally captured and imprisoned before we had a chance to make any effective countermeasures without risking their safety."

"Observation: the safety of the captured organics should not have made any difference in the clear goal of slaughtering the troublesome meatbags. If they were truly of any real significance, they would not have allowed themselves to be captured so easily in the first place. The spilling of their internal fluids and squishy components is merely collateral damage at this point," HK-47 wasted no time at all giving his critical opinion of Dodonna's course of action, much to the startled chagrin of said veteran officer. Colonel Veers remained silent as well, but his expression gave away his own surprise at the droid's clear and graphic perspective. The Grand Inquisitor gave his assessment next.

"The Emperor has made it clear he wants Governor Marensioun recovered alive if at all possible. I will reach out and humor these traitorous insurgents for a brief time before resorting to more… serious measures. In the meantime there is another concern I must address with the two of you. I've taken the liberty of looking over schematics of the base and all nearby installations for a sign of any weak point in the defenses. I found one; the system of vents running directly under this base between the two chemical facilities in Worlport. With the cession of their operations due to the uprising, those tunnels are susceptible to enemy infiltration. This risk cannot be allowed to remain unchecked," eyeing the general for a sign of reaction, the Grand Inquisitor then shifted his focus to Veers as the latter spoke up first instead.

"Yes, those tunnels have in fact long been a concern of ours. General, I would personally recommend we employ portable motion sensors at once in the sublevels to keep close surveillance over-" he stopped talking abruptly as Dodonna swiftly cut him off.

"That won't be necessary, colonel. I assure you, Grand Inquisitor, those tunnels are coated in two feet of durasteel alloy. I have it in strict confidence that the insurgents in league with Aygo don't have access to the kind of thermal explosives or industrial cutting tools needed to blow a hole or cut through something like that. Even if they were to try sneaking through the tunnels, I promise you it's a useless gesture."

"Sadly your words are not enough for me, general. All I've been hearing from you thus far are excuses and half-measures. Now that I am in command here, those will no longer suffice. I've already employed a more certain solution to shore up your defenses," with these words from the menacing practitioner of the Dark Side, General Dodonna felt his eyes go wide, but he quickly recovered to inquire with his guest.

"What 'certain solution' are you referring to, sir?"

"Statement: the master has ordered that the venting system resume function immediately. Loyal meatbags under his command have already seen to it. Addendum: a pity we will miss the dying screams and choking last gasps of any delightfully unfortunate meatbags that may be wandering below," HK-47 exclaimed in a whimsical tone. Dodonna was, all but for a brief moment, noticeably shaken at this revelation.

* * *

At that moment down in the tunnels, the loud clanging of industrial machinery echoed through the hollow space, ringing in the ears of the Rebels and their escorts. Kanan was the first to speak up, trailing off cautiously.

"That didn't sound good…" as if on cue once this was said, the various fans around them began to rotate again, and Aygo immediately called out with a horrified expression.

"Run! Now! The vents are back on! Any unrefined gas left in the facility behind us is gonna be pouring in from back there any second!" and with that, immediately, the terrified Rebels and operatives took off in a brisk pace down the tunnels, the fans all around them picking up speed.

"I thought you said production was shut down at both facilities connected by these tunnels!" Sabine frantically shouted to the Bothan, who was just as surprised as her.

"It **is**! The Empire must be on to us!"

"Either that or worse, and this was a trap from the start! Karabast!" Zeb growled.

"Keep moving! Keep moving!" Kanan repeated sharply.

"Yeah, no need to remind us!" Ezra commented as he ran at the side of his master. All the while behind them, an eerie green and brown fog was moving down the tunnels straight towards them.

* * *

Back up inside the Imperial base, the Grand Inquisitor and HK-47 departed the command room to head for the base's central control. As they did so, Colonel Veers quickly treaded after them, apparently seeking a more private audience with the duo.

 **A/N: Just letting everyone know, the next chapter is really where the action begins, and kicks it into high gear, along with the promised development for Ezrabine and Kanera. Thank you for reading! :)**


	4. Chapter 4: Deep Implications

**Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: I know I have said this more than once already, but my sincerest appreciation goes out to all of you. It is this amount of positive feedback and other activity from you people, my readers, that has me encouraged to keep updating around this pace, which to clarify I intend to keep up at about once a week. I hope to see more from you guys with this latest update! :)**

 **Chapter 4: Deep Implications**

The Imperial base was a clam and orderly facility, the entry points all heavily barricaded with dedicated round the clock guards. Inside the central control room, Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist was finishing his inspection of the automated defenses when Colonel Veers entered. The menacing Dark Side user turned to face the decorated Imperial officer, as did HK-47 and the lieutenant in charge of the controls.

"Please pardon the interruption, sir, but I have an urgent matter I must bring to your attention," the colonel stated respectfully as he attempted to retain the attention of his superior.

"I sensed you were following us, Colonel Veers. Lieutenant, give us a couple minutes if you would," the Grand Inquisitor said as he turned back to the lieutenant, who nodded before leaving in silence. Once the doors closed behind him, the colonel spoke up.

"Grand Inquisitor, sir, I have more to say on the uprising, but I couldn't say this in front of the general," Veers trailed off as Nachtgeist nodded slowly, but gave a bemused reply.

"I can't imagine General Dodonna would appreciate his right hand going behind his back like this."

"No, he would not, especially considering what I have to say. Sir, I have reason to believe that General Dodonna is in league with the insurgents behind this chaos. I have something to show you, in here in fact. Please, come with me over to this console," the colonel gestured over to one of the computer stations on the wall inside the room, and as he walked over the Grand Inquisitor followed him, the latter relaying his instructions to his skilled droid as he did so.

"HK, seal the doors and outward comm channels. We don't need any prying eyes and ears."

"Acknowledgement: At once, master. Zero outside meatbag interference will be assured."

* * *

As this had been taking place, down in the chemical venting tunnels, the Rebels and Freedom Coalition operatives were barely keeping their distance from the approaching cloud of toxic fumes as they ran. The fans were now on full power, ensuring the maximum speed for the funneled gasses being pumped in from the processing station back the way the group had come just minutes prior. Sabine called out to the others running alongside her.

"We're not gonna be able to stop and break through into the base! The gas will follow us all the way to the refinery at the other end of the tunnels!"

"Aygo, any ideas?!" Ezra asked frantically.

"We could activate the emergency containment lockdown from one of the maintenance consoles up ahead, but it would take a highly skilled slicer at least thirty seconds to hack the system!" the grizzled Bothan informed his new allies, his men along with Kavir running at his side.

"Argh! We'll never get that done in time!" Zeb growled, keeping pace alongside his team. Kanan turned to the teenage Mandalorian, an idea forming in his head.

"Sabine, think can you slice that console and activate the lockdown in thirty seconds?!

"I can do it in twenty, but that still won't be enough time!" the young artist told the Jedi Knight worriedly, but he said nothing as he turned to his apprentice.

"Ezra, you and I are going to make that time! We're going to give Sabine a head start!"

"Wait, what?!" Sabine inquired, skeptical of what the two Jedi had in store for her. The two of them said nothing to her but nodded to each other as they understood what they were going to do.

Seizing their female teammate with the Force as they ran, Kanan and Ezra, urgently and gently as they could, threw her further down the tunnel, putting a substantial difference between her and everyone else further back. She shrieked as they did so, glaring at them through her visor as she landed on her feet, taking off in a run once more.

" _Never_ do that again, you crazy Jedi!"

"We'll consider that!" Ezra joked as he called out to her.

"The console is just up ahead! Get to it!" Aygo reiterated frantically.

Sabine found the console to her left behind an air-tight panel she easily removed and tossed aside. Immediately inserting a data spike, she began her work at a fast and steady pace, calling out to the others via her comm unit as they continued approaching in the distance.

"We've got another problem! The pipes are about to funnel in more gasses from above and below us! I need fifteen more seconds to finish modifying the lockdown, or we'll be separated by blast doors and trapped for six hours!"

Within in instant as Sabine spoke to them through their comm units, a foreboding sense of danger, immensely greater than the fear at their current predicament, engulfed Ezra. He shut his eyes tightly as he ran, sensing an overwhelming threat at exactly the spot Sabine was standing just up head, the light from her helmet and the console growing for him as they steadily came into view.

"NO!" utilizing speed he didn't even know he possessed, Ezra ran past Kanan, Zeb, and the others, the unnatural pace surprising everyone he left behind him.

"Ezra?! Wait!"

Paying his master no heed, it was a mere moment before Ezra blindsided the Mandalorian, who hadn't seen him coming at all as she had been focused on the console.

"Gah! No!" Sabine shouted as she and Ezra both tumbled to the floor, his lightsaber deactivating in the process.

At that exact moment, two pipes from behind grills above and below the maintenance console began venting in gas at a brisk pace. If Sabine had been standing there, she'd be quickly succumbing to the poisonous fumes shutting her body down from the inside and out, an agonizing demise. However, her attention was still on her objective, failed thanks to her rescuer. The emergency lockdown activated within a second later, the vents shutting down and the fans screeching to a halt. However, the containment doors immediately sealed shut as well. Divided at junctions throughout the tunnel and pipe network, including the maintenance console Sabine just accessed, the doors effectively barred the spread of the gasses. However, because the young Mandalorian was unable to finish modifying the parameters of the lockdown, the team was now separated by the sealed doors, and the lockdown would remain in place automatically for six hours, until well after the last of the fumes in the tunnels were extracted by the emergency subsystems. To say Sabine was livid at this complication would be a severe understatement.

"Ezra! Get off me!" she snapped as she forcefully pushed the slightly younger Padawan off of her, standing back up in a huff. The console was beyond her reach now. Her face contorted into anger beneath her visor.

* * *

Further back behind another set of sealed doors, Kanan moved to drive his lightsaber through them in a bid to cut their way forward, but Aygo placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him to wait. Kavir, Zeb, and the other operatives were all behind them, doors just a few meters back keeping the gasses in the rest of the tunnel contained. Aygo elaborated to the Jedi Knight, warning him of what he was about to attempt.

"You seriously don't want to do that. These doors in front and behind us are all that's separating us from the gasses on both ends. It will take some time for them to be removed by the automatic subsystems triggered by the lockdown."

"We can't exactly afford to wait. If General Dodonna didn't just betray us, then he's still in danger of being discovered until we extract him. Not to mention the Imperial fleet now blockading the entire planet," Kanan replied in an exasperated tone.

"General Dodonna wouldn't have willingly helped my associates drive his own troops into a corner if he wasn't sincere. I'm convinced there are greater powers at play here," Aygo defended his longtime ally.

"Wouldn't be the first time," Zeb chimed in as he commented drolly. Kanan turned back to give his assessment to Aygo.

"The arrival of Imperial reinforcements is no mere coincidence, then. This would mean whoever is in charge now is trying to actively contain your uprising, trying to drive you into a corner, instead."

"Pffh! Let them try! They'll find the people of Ord Mantell are not broken so easily," Aygo scoffed as he exclaimed defiantly.

"War has a way of breaking everybody, if you're not careful," the Jedi Knight replied quietly in a tone that suggested solemn remembrance of past experience. His thoughts suddenly shifted to his longest-serving companion, and how she was doing back at her ship.

* * *

Back on the other side of the twin set of sealed doors, Sabine abruptly turned back to Ezra, furious with him.

"Ezra Bridger, turn your lightsaber back on and cut through these doors! I need to get back on that console!" she demanded in a rush. Ezra replied as he got back to his feet slowly, and as he did so pulling out and activating a flashlight given to him by Aygo instead.

"I can't, Sabine. More of those gasses are on the other side of those doors, directly where you were standing. I just saved you from getting engulfed in the stuff, I'm not going to expose us by cutting through the only barrier keeping us safe!" the Padawan was adamant in his refusal, only frustrating Sabine further, regarding him as clueless.

"I just needed three seconds more and I could have stopped those gasses from coming in and prevented the doors around the console from closing! We'd still be with Kanan, Zeb, and the others, and we'd probably be breaking right into the Imperial base right now!" with so much at stake, Sabine couldn't believe Ezra would be so reckless as to jeopardize the mission. She was positively irate at the position they and the others were in, now.

"Those were three more seconds than you had, Sabine, and you know it! You'd be dead if I hadn't gotten you away from that spot!" Ezra defended the choice he made, no regrets or hesitations about it. His bravado, and the logic in his words, did nothing to calm his female companion.

"I didn't ask you to save me! The mission must come first! How could you still be so careless?! You've been with us for months now, I thought you would have gotten past being a naive child at this point but I guess I was wrong!" Sabine spat, her tone harsh as she glared daggers from beneath her visor.

Ezra couldn't see her fierce expression, but her words couldn't be missed even if he tried. They stung, striking a nerve somewhere deep inside him. He narrowed his own eyes before firing back.

"Shut up, Sabine!" his words filled with venom of his own, Sabine recoiled her head only briefly, surprised at his outburst, but not ready to relent. Not by a long shot. Reconstituting herself in her anger, she resumed her unseen glare.

"What did you just say?! You brat! You think you can just tell me to-?!"

"I said shut up! You're wrong! I'm not careless! I care about _you_!"

Sabine recoiled again as she was surprised again within a five second interval. This time however, she may as well have been blindsided again. She sure felt like she was.

"You… you what…?"

* * *

Further back once more with Kanan and the rest of the team, Zeb attempted and failed to try and reach Ezra over the comm. Sighing in frustration, he confirmed everyone's suspicions.

"The Imperials are jamming the comm channels. We can't reach Ezra, Sabine, or Hera."

As if on cue, the ping on the holocommunicator that Aygo kept clasped on his belt sprang to life, and everyone watched with wide eyes as he pulled it out to activate it.

"Seems like they're still not jamming the holofrequencies," and upon activating the device, the hologram of one of his lieutenants appeared on the other end. A male Twi'lek clad in Freedom Coalition garb had called them.

"Hey, Rajom, wassup buddy?" Kavir called out to the familiar man on the other line. Aygo merely gave a roll of his eyes before addressing his adjutant.

"Rajom, I'm glad you called. We need a unit dispatched to the processing center immediately. The mission has been compromised and we're trapped in the emergency containment lockdown down in the venting tunnels. We need them to access the building's controls and manually complete the lockdown ahead of the automatic subsystems. Dispatch a team at once!" after Aygo finished issuing his orders, his follower immediately had his reply ready.

"I'm afraid that may be easier said than done, sir. The Imperials have deployed aerial units to patrol the skies all over the city, and we don't have enough ordinance to take them all on. But that's not the reason I called, sir. It seems the commander of these reinforcements wants to speak to you. He called us here at HQ looking for you. Shall I put him through to you, sir?"

"Yes, please do. I too would have words with this upstart who thinks they can outwit the Ord Mantell Freedom Coalition," Aygo narrowed his eyes in anticipation. Kanan however suddenly felt a sense of dread come over him.

"This isn't going to be good…"

The holofrequency shifted, and it was the Grand Inquisitor on the other line this time. The Evocii mastermind barred his own narrowed eyes from above his half-mask, his vicious glare easily chilling Kavir and the other operatives. Kanan did not miss the strong eminence of the Dark Side in the presence of their cloaked adversary. Aygo, unlike his men, would not be so easily intimidated.

"So, you're this upstart that's been meddling in our business? I have a few choice words for the likes of you, Imperial lapdog!"

"So you're this rogue lieutenant governor I've been hearing so much about. I am the Grand Inquisitor, hand-picked by the Emperor himself to settle this little civil war of yours," Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist spoke firmly without any slip, his own confidence practically dripping from his tone.

Zeb didn't miss Kanan's eyes going wide at the revelation. Admittedly, the veteran Lasat warrior was also a bit surprised at the news. This new Grand Inquisitor was nothing like the previous one they had dealt with months ago. Even without sensitivity to the Force, Zeb could tell this one was far stronger than their former nemesis. He had the look of a man with years of death behind him, both by his own hands and witnessing killing from others.

"Your titles mean absolutely nothing to me. My demands for the betterment of Ord Mantell and her people will be accepted, or I may have to begin executing hostages," Aygo threatened with malice. Kanan thought to himself that he would have to object to that later. The Grand Inquisitor was unfazed, not even in the slightest.

"You speak as if you are still in control of the situation. You were, until I set foot on this pathetic little rock. Your demands will not be considered, there will be no negotiation. I will give you a chance for surrender without conditions. I suggest you take it. Dire consequences will have to be met should you refuse."

"I stand with the people, and I'll die before I see them suffer because of the Empire any longer!" Aygo spat harshly and defiantly, unwilling to back down as well. The Grand Inquisitor took a moment to study the grizzled Bothan before giving his reply.

"Well, I tried this the easy way. A pity you chose the alternative," this time as he spoke, his words carried with them a severe and dark undertone. Enough to cause Kanan to feel a chill run down his spine. Still, Aygo was defiant.

"This can only be resolved the hard way, you presumptuous fool!"

"Wrong again. Now thanks to you, we will be resolving this _my_ way. You will remember that fact in the end. Farewell, enemies of the Empire."

And with that, the Grand Inquisitor cut the transmission, leaving Aygo, Kanan, and the others to contemplate his grave words as they stood in the dark.

 **A/N: Thanks again for reading, everyone! :) Hehehe, I have the plot for the rest of this story worked out now. Rest assured, this has barely begun. ;)**


	5. Chapter 5: Intentions Are Never Enough

**Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: Time for more development with your favorite Rebels pairings, and the plans of the Imperials working against them. And once more, another thanks to all my readers, especially the reviewers, favorers, and followers! I honestly would not be updating this fast were it not for your greatly appreciated and encouraging support. Enjoy! :)**

 **Update: Admittedly I wasn't too pleased with how this chapter turned out in original format, so I decided I wanted to tweak it a little. I would sincerely appreciate further feedback.**

 **Furthermore, during my editing of this chapter, it seems I accidentally put out a notification for Chapter 6, which is still in progress. I apologize in advance to all my followers who got the mistaken notification. I expect the real Chapter 6 to be ready and posted sometime next week.**

 **Chapter 5: Intentions Are Never Enough**

Within minutes of the Grand Inquisitor's transmission to the Rebels and Freedom Coalition operatives, his personal shuttle arrived back in his private hangar bay on his flagship, the _Furious Vengeance_. In his absence, Vice Admiral Thrawn had been in command of the Fourth Fleet. Accompanied by Fleet Commander Piett, Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist made his way to the forward ammo depot, a highly-secure chamber off-limits to all standard personnel within being their destination.

"Your return to the ship this early is unexpected, if I do say so myself, sir. I can only assume your presence here is part of your plan to deal with the insurgents below?" Piett asked his superior respectfully as he walked alongside the Dark Side master.

"Indeed, your assumption is correct, Commander. Tell me, do you recall the secret payload that was on the manifest when we stopped for refueling and supplies en route to this system?" the Grand Inquisitor inquired with his subordinate, curious.

"I do, sir. However, I'm afraid I was not privy to such information. The ISB informed the lesser officers and myself not to ask questions regarding it."

"Only the Vice Admiral and myself have the full details of what this new weapon is, and we have been granted clearance to for its first combat deployment. Top brass and the scientists behind its creation will be most eager to study the results. The insurgents will make suitable first targets."

"You intend to use it immediately, then?" Piett inquired as he raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, and I want you to oversee its preparation with me. Thrawn has things well in hand with the rest of the fleet as he always does."

At this point, both men had come to the secured blast doors that were always sealed shut when not opened, signifying that the chamber beyond was indeed for deadly and/or potentially experimental ordinance. Using a retinal scanner to the right of the doors, the Grand Inquisitor verified his identity for the automatic security systems, which opened the doors and allowed the two men to enter. As the doors sealed shut behind them, Piett took a moment to study the weapon that was carefully placed in secure computer-locked restraints, unable to move even millimeters while in storage.

The top-secret weapon that lay before the both of them was a large bomb, easily five feet tall, ten feet long, and four feet wide. The frame was gunmetal grey in color, and luminous yellow lights flashed on small rectangular lenses that ringed both right and left sides of the core. The casing matched the color of the frame, and the device had a large, almost oval-octagonal shape. The Grand Inquisitor elaborated as labor droids entered from a door to the side to begin loading the bombe carefully onto a large hovercart they brought with them.

"Behold, the latest marvel brought to us by the Imperial Department of Military Research, the Seismic Bomb. Virtually it holds the same function as the smaller, more manageable seismic charge, but the destructive power is easily one hundred times that."

"Sir, the standard seismic charge can destroy a starship the size of a corvette or light frigate. An explosive of this magnitude would more than likely demolish an entire city about the size of Coronet on Corellia," Piett stared with wide eyes as he pondered the horrific capabilities of this weapon.

"Exactly, or to be more specific in this case, the entire city of Worlport on Ord Mantell," the Grand Inquisitor further explained, making his intention known.

"Sir, if I may, we do have a military base and government building full of personnel and prisoners to think of."

"I have no intention of sacrificing Imperial lives, Commander. Rest assured of the fact that I have carefully plotted and calculated the precise location of deployment to ensure our key installations will not be affected."

"That's more comforting, then," Piett let his face relax at the clarification.

"Those throughout the Galaxy who have chosen to stand against the order and the peace the Empire has gifted them must be shown whatever their perceived grievances may be, there is always a darker, more terrible, more unthinkably nightmarish existence and final demise awaiting them. Those who do not know what it means to truly suffer will never understand the value of true peace. This example will suffice to drive home that fact."

"Whatever must be done for the Empire, sir. I look forward to this pointless struggle below coming to an end," Piett bowed respectfully to his superior.

"As do I, Commander. As do I," Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist agreed before both men turned to follow the bomb to its next destination, an Imperial gunship being prepped in one of the main hangar bays. Before the day was done, Ord Mantell and the Rebellion would never be the same.

* * *

As this turn of events with the rest of their team and their Imperial foes had been taking place without their knowledge, the teenage Mandalorian and the young Padawan stood aghast in awkward silence, Ezra blushing despite himself as he recalled the words he blurted out over and over in his head. Sabine for her part seemed equally flustered. Slowly and delicately, she removed her helmet to look at him face to face. The sight of her with her face exposed to him after what he just said only served to leave Ezra even more at a loss for words. Deciding she would have to be the one to cut through the tension, Sabine spoke softly, all her previous anger and frustration gone completely.

"You… you care about me?"

While she would never admit it to him herself, his words had caught her completely off-guard. She was at a loss as her brain attempted to make sense of his outburst, in response to her own frustration and prodding. Sabine had known that this slightly younger boy was attracted to her, after all they started off with him making a shoddy attempt at flirting, to which she was glad that Zeb had interrupted. However, she had always written off his amorous affections as entirely physical, based on superficial things like appearances. The aspiring artist wasn't exactly new to the knowledge she had an unwelcome habit of turning the heads of pubescent and perverted males, and she knew Ezra wouldn't be the last, either. Nonetheless, that was the extent to which she had written off his advances. Contemplating this new development, she couldn't help but begin to doubt her assumptions. Could she have pegged him wrong? Were his feelings more genuine than she had been willing to accept? What would that mean for them, now? Musing to herself, she could recall all the times he had not so subtly attempted flirting with her over the last few months they'd known one another. The frequency of these rather annoying moments had been decreasing, and Sabine began to wonder whether or not he was growing past his obvious crush on her. It was clear right now more than ever that was wishful thinking. She could also recall signs over these last few months with the crew that Ezra was more noble and selfless than he initially let on, exactly the kind of qualities she grew aspiration for after leaving her brief career as a freelance bounty hunter behind. He was kind of inspiring, to tell the truth…

No! What was she thinking? Of course Ezra wasn't actually and genuinely in love with her. His naivety was confusing a childhood crush for actual and deep feelings, it happens to everyone, herself included Sabine admitted. The poor boy was confused, smitten with her was all. That had to be it.

"Yeah… I do… I have for a while…"

Unable to look her in the eyes, Ezra missed the reaction of the girl in front of him as his words once more halted her train of thought. His heart was throbbing in his chest. He honestly never in his wildest imagination thought he'd be letting some of his more personal feelings for his female teammate out in the open today, and he never really thought about how and if he'd let her know at all. He figured Sabine knew he was attracted to her, but she never seemed interested. Truth be told, the boy wasn't as confident as he tried to come off as.

Admittedly when he first saw her face in the nose gun chamber on the _Ghost_ , his initial attraction to the slightly older Mandalorian was based on her looks. He was a healthy and growing teenage boy after all. A young woman with a face, eyes, hair, and figure like hers was nothing to scoff at. Of course, that was then, and this was now. Over the last few months he had spent with the crew, learning to be a freedom fighter and training to be a Jedi, Ezra got to know more and more about his new friends and allies, Sabine included. His more frequent attempts to flirt with her had decreased not because his attraction to her was wearing off over time, but because he was growing to genuinely respect her as his friend. Of course it was true that the attraction was still there, he just attempted to be less obvious about it.

Growing up on the streets from a young age left him with little concern for others besides himself, but his time with the Rebels had changed his perspective on life. It's like what Hera told him in a sense, essentially that a life only lived for yourself is not one worth living. For the first time since losing both his parents, Ezra had come to see that while the Galaxy is a cruel place with cruel people, it's also a good place with good people. It's living for the good that makes it all worthwhile, and being with others instead of alone makes it even better. His respect and admiration for his fellow crew only grew as time went on. Sabine was not excluded from that list, not even close. She was strong and self-sufficient, but still courteous and caring. Her talent with painting was a bonus. If anything, Ezra felt more attracted to her now than in the beginning.

As Ezra mulled over these thoughts in his mind, uncertain and frightened at her potential response, Sabine recalled another memory, of when Ezra had sacrificed himself to let her escape from the Seventh Sister and the Fifth Brother when they were on the abandoned Old Republic medical station. Her shock and confusion at the sudden and unexpected arrival of two new Inquisitors was rivaled only by her bewilderment and fear when Ezra jammed the console for the doors in the hall with his lightsaber, ensuring they would seal shut and she could escape, allowing himself to be captured and interrogated alone. That was without a doubt the most selfless thing anyone had ever done for her in her life, an act that remains unsurpassed. At the time, Sabine had explained it to herself as having been integrated in Ezra as some noble thing a Jedi must do for others, likely drilled into his head by Kanan during their training. Looking back now, she couldn't help but wonder if that was the only reason. Was it out of serious concern for her wellbeing and safety? Was he willing to put his own life on the line for hers because he cared for her just as he said?

Looking at him with a nervous feeling in her gut despite herself, Sabine finally noticed how shy he had become since he blurted out those words that left them both fazed. While her own head was still reeling, she smiled lightly, thinking the display kind of endearing. She was grateful he still didn't notice the pink tinting her cheeks. She still had her pride to think of. However, Sabine also realized she would have to be the one to speak up again, and soon.

"Of course I care about you, too, Ezra… we're teammates, right?" she knew this wasn't the angle he had been going for, and to her shame he immediately caught it.

"Yeah, we are, but that's not what I meant, Sabine…" he said sharply while looking back up her. Their expressions were almost mirrored in one another, uncertain and flushed.

"Ezra… I…" at that moment, a ringing coming from the holodevice clasped on her own belt indicated someone was calling them. Pulling the device out and activating it, they were both relieved to see Kanan on the other end.

"Kanan! How's everyone?" Ezra inquired with his master urgently, having been concerned for everyone else who got locked behind Sabine and himself as well.

"We're all fine, just trapped until the lockdown ends. I'm glad holofrequencies still haven't been jammed like the comm channels. How're you two?" the Jedi Knight asked his younger teammates, who both noticeably stiffened, but quickly gathered their thoughts. They didn't miss his curious eyebrow at their nervous shuffling.

"We're fine on our end as well, Kanan. Is there something you need?" Sabine asked.

"Yes, there is. Listen, we just got a live holocall from the leader of the Imperial reinforcements. It's the new Grand Inquisitor," at his words, both the Padawan and the Mandalorian were shaken once more, this time at the unwelcome revelation. This was a new complication they had not been expecting. Remembering how the last battle with the previous Grand Inquisitor ended, Ezra was the first to reply.

"Don't worry, Kanan, we took care of the last one; we can handle whoever this new guy is, too!" Ezra felt his new enthusiasm dissipate as fast as it came as Kanan warily shook his head.

"Just from briefly seeing him speak with Aygo via hologram was enough for to see this new guy is on an entirely different level than the last one. Aygo refused to give in to his demand for surrender, so he's on to his next stage of his plan for the city, whatever that is. We need to proceed with our mission and extract General Dodonna immediately, we can't afford to wait any longer."

Sabine felt the need to clarify, as Kanan and the others weren't going anywhere anytime soon just like her and Ezra.

"The lockdown will remain in place automatically for another five hours and fifty-some minutes, Kanan. None of us can go anywhere until the gasses are extracted from the tunnels," as she finished, the Jedi Knight on the other end had his rebuttal ready immediately.

"No gasses were pumped into the tunnels ahead of you guys, though, right? Ezra can cut through the containment doors in front of you, and the two of you can proceed to the entry point Aygo pinpointed for us. The rest of us will be along as soon as we can, but you two must proceed ahead of us, make up for crucial time the new Grand Inquisitor will rob from us otherwise."

Despite uncertain feelings regarding this, and other matters, both the young Padawan and the teenage Mandalorian nodded in affirmation.

"Very well, we'll go on ahead and find General Dodonna," Ezra told his master, who nodded at the both of them before finishing.

"May the Force be with you both. The rest of us will join you as soon as we can. Over and out."

And with that the holocall had ceased. Drawing and reigniting his lightsaber, the young Padawan moved to begin the process of cutting a hole through the containment doors in front of them. As he did so in silence, Sabine placed her helmet back on and watched him, the both of them knowing this temporary reprieve from the previous conversation they had been interrupted from was in all reality just that, something temporary.

* * *

Shifting his focus back to Aygo, the Jedi Knight allowed his previous expression of concern to return. Kanan didn't like the idea of sending his young apprentice and another teammate on to their objective alone with the revelation that a strong user of the Dark Side was now involved.

"You're certain this new Grand Inquisitor isn't in the base at the moment?" with his caution voiced yet again, Kanan almost grumbled aloud as Aygo shook his head dismissively.

"Standard protocol would require the commander of Imperial reinforcements to return to their ship to coordinate their plans rather than from any ground installation. It's not a certainty, but if this guy does things by the book, then it's more than likely," Aygo elaborated informatively.

"You better be right," Zeb retorted, also visibly concerned for his younger teammates despite himself.

* * *

Miles away at the spaceport, the _Ghost_ sat idle with its boarding ramp retracted, Hera and her more-often-than-not-faithful astromech having just finished routine maintenance on the sublight drives, life support filters, and reloading the fuel tanks courtesy of a couple barrels gifted to them by the resistance forces.

As she sat alone in the turret pod, looking up at the imposing Imperial fleet ever so slowly moving forward in orbit, the ships blockading the planet in a straight line side by side like a snake coiling around its prey, the rogue Twi'lek pilot could only watch the fleet and the time pass by in silence. It was times like this when she remembered when the Empire took over her homeworld, Ryloth. It was like this, war-torn villages and cities, massive starships in orbit as fighters and gunships flew overhead. Dropships carrying troopers and vehicles to the surface, on the singular mission of subjugating and pacifying any and all elements of resistance that stood in their way. Hera lost her mother as part of the early stages of the Twi'lek people opposing Imperial rule, a loss that partially encouraged her to leave her home behind to pursue greater purpose as a combat pilot.

At first it was just her and Chopper, but when she met Kanan she saw he too was someone seeking to find them self, someone who also remembered the tragedy of the last war. She felt a connection to him immediately, and she knew he felt the same. They didn't have to be alone anymore, they could find their greater purpose together. As their team grew overtime with the addition of a veteran Lasat warrior, a teenage Mandalorian artist, and a young street orphan from Lothal, they had to take on leadership roles, another new experience they could mutually relate to. Her connection to the wayward Jedi was strong; they could often tell what the other had to say by a mere glance these days.

The nature of the reality that she, Kanan, and the rest of their team faced on a near-daily basis was also frequently on her mind. Every day the Empire showed it was responding to their open defiance to its rule more and more seriously, and friends and allies had been lost, not least of all amongst their comrades on the Rebel fleet. At any moment, any one or even all of the crew of the _Ghost_ could suffer the same fate. This conflict had escalated into open war over the last few months, and war is not without suffering and death on both sides. The Rebels were surrounded by this harsh reality, and nothing was certain anymore. While she would never openly admit it as she believed she was needed to be and remain a strong leader, the thought of losing any of her new friends and family was deeply troubling to Hera. She knew and accepted that was the way things were and had to be, but that would never mean she was content with the idea. She could vividly recall he recent holocall she and Kanan shared before the mission to the base began, from where he was with the others at the Freedom Coalition HQ.

 _"_ _Kanan… I'm counting on you to keep the family safe while you're all out there…" she told him with a sad smile, her concern evidence in her tone. She recognized the confident glimmer in his eyes; he hadn't developed that habit until a while after they first met._

 _"_ _Come on, don't we… usually succeed in the end?" the Jedi Knight replied with a cheesy grin that made her roll her eyes as she chuckled. Sighing to herself with closed eyes, she shook her head slowly with a more genuine smile before looking back up to him._

 _"_ _I'll await your return, dear," she said softly, holding her soft expression._

 _"_ _I look forward to it," Kanan replied with a grin._

Sighing to herself worriedly, Hera resumed her silent gazing out to the sky and the imposing fleet above.

* * *

At this point, both Sabine and Ezra had made it to the point marked on Aygo's map back at HQ that signified the planned point of entry for the Imperial base above, just past the sixteenth pipe junction. Raising his ignited lightsaber up with one hand to illuminate the top of the tunnel, the spot where both he and the teenage Mandalorian would have to blast and cut their way through five feet of durasteel as well as dirt and solid rock.

"Think you can give me a boost long enough to cut through the tunnel?" Ezra sked her sheepishly. Sabine nodded, an unseen smile behind her visor.

"Yeah, and once that's done I'll prime the detonite charges I brought with me. You'll have to cut through the floor of the base, though. Wouldn't want an explosion alerting the Imperials inside."

Teamwork was key to the process. It took some delicate foot and arm work, and some use of telekinesis through the Force, but after about ten minutes of careful cutting and blasting, the Padawan and the Mandalorian had broken a clear access point into the exact-planned point of entry, a sublevel storage room inside the Imperial base. Using the Force to leap up into the room, dimly-lit and stocked with supply crates, Ezra deactivated and sheathed his lightsaber before reaching down with his right hand to pull Sabine up into the room with him, grabbing her hand as he helped her to her feet. At last, the two teammates were inside their destination. Now the mission could begin in earnest.

Unknown to either of them, a lone motion sensor had been left hidden inside one of the stacked crates to the left in the room. Its single red light was now continually flashing from near the dome atop its cylinder and metallic frame, a signal being transmitted out in silence. On the level above the two intruders, armed and armored troopers began rushing towards the stairwell down to the level with the room below, and HK-47 among them.

 **A/N: Well, for those of you, my readers, who are eager for more action, I have a rather certain and strong feeling you'll be looking forward to the next chapter. ;)**


	6. Chapter 6: Cold Steel

**Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: Now is where the combat situations we've come to expect in Star Wars kick off in earnest. Now enjoy, my most respected readers!**

 **Chapter 6: Cold Steel**

Inside the sublevel storage room in the Imperial base, Sabine used her holodevice to try and contact General Dodonna, who had been out of contact with the group since the briefing at the Freedom Coalition HQ. Admittedly, both the teenage Mandalorian and her slightly younger Padawan companion were eager to establish the general's position so they could complete the mission and leave as soon as possible. After a few long moments of uncertainty, finally the older man picked up on the other line.

"General Dodonna, we've successfully infiltrated the base. What is your location and what is the quickest way to reach it?" Sabine asked the aging military leader without delay.

"I'm relieved to hear you made it through the tunnels. The Grand Inquisitor himself has taken command of my troops and placed the entire base on high alert. Fortunately I remember enough of slicing from my days in the field to be of some assistance; I was able to cause a blackout in the security mainframe. None of the visual cameras or autoturrets are currently online, but I can't guarantee how long before someone corrects the problem. I'm currently in the officer's lounge, within sight of the landing platforms. I recommend we take my personal shuttle, currently fueled and ready for takeoff. I doubt one of my usual pilots will willingly aid in my sudden departure. Is one of you a pilot?" as Jan Dodonna inquired with his would-be rescuers, Ezra looked over at Sabine and nodded reassuringly.

"Yes, I have sufficient piloting skills, but we'll need to move out of range of any anti-air defenses quickly," Sabine replied readily.

"Is the Grand Inquisitor currently inside the base?" Ezra asked, wanting to know what to expect up head.

"That's a negative, fortunately. He departed back to his flagship in orbit not long ago, but I have no idea how long he'll be gone. He's not exactly keeping me in the loop, not a good sign," Dodonna replied cautiously.

"What do you mean?" Ezra inquired, confused.

"It means this new Grand Inquisitor may suspect Dodonna means to defect and isn't letting him know his plans. Either way we need to move fast and get out of here before he comes back," Sabine told her teammate explanatively. Dodonna began using a datapad he had with him, addressing them as to add on to his previous update as he did so.

"Be warned, while he may not currently be planetside, he left his personal assassin droid. I've never seen it in action personally, but I've read the reports. The thing is a literal killing machine. I recommend you take the turbolift down the hall to the right of your current location. I'm transmitting an upload of the base's schematics to your rangefinder, young Mandalorian. Follow the route I've highlighted and you'll find me in no time. We'll break out together once we meet up."

Raising a hand to her rangefinder on the left side of her helmet, Sabine verified she received the upload. Ezra could swear he was now hearing footsteps approaching the room from outside, and his eyes widened as he reached out with the Force to confirm his suspicions.

"I've got the schematics, thank you, general. We'll move out immediately," Sabine informed the older man.

"I look forward to meeting your team in person. General Dodonna, out."

With the holocall over, Sabine noticed the concerned expression on Ezra's face. Placing her holodevice away, she faced him as she spoke.

"Ezra, what is it?"

"Shh, Sabine! There's at least a full squad outside the door!" Ezra whispered hurriedly. Sabine gave a silent nod as she understood, knowing at this point not to question the senses of a Jedi. She was already formulating a plan as she reached down into one of the two larger pouches wrapped around her waist.

Outside the door, a full squad of troopers stood ready to storm inside the room, their blasters locked and loaded. HK-47 stood behind them, a repeating carbine in his own hands. The ancient assassin droid eyed the door with his photoreceptors, as if he was analyzing what the two intruders were doing beyond it.

"Observation: the infiltrators know we're here, otherwise they would have exited the room already to continue with their mission. Exclamation: we have them cornered! Get in there and blast them to beautifully charred husks!

"You heard him, men, inside! Take 'em down!" the sergeant ordered. The door flew open once he entered the access code and his squad stormed in, blasters blazing. However, it was quickly apparent to the troopers that they weren't hitting anything but the walls and the crates. "Cease fire! Cease fire!" the sergeant commanded, and his men obeyed.

Once the steam from the carbon scoring dissipated, it was clear the squad was surrounded by electromagnetic pulse detonators, placed on the stacked crates around them. The rapid-paced pinging and flashing of the red lights on each signified activation was imminent.

"Fall back! Fall-!" it was too late. The detonators were set off with a single push of the button atop the handheld plunger Sabine carried with her. The electricity quickly shocked the entire squad into unconsciousness, their startled screams muffled as they lost feeling and fell to the floor. HK-47 payed the disabled unit no need, dismissing them without remorse from his safe distance outside the room.

"Mockery: foolish organics; always such fragile, inferior beings," as he finished, Sabine and Ezra both ran out of the room at that moment, only to find the vicious mechanized killer waiting for them. The teenage Mandalorian wasted no time drawing both her pistols as the young Padawan drew and ignited his lightsaber. "Observation: it is quite apparent that you meatbags have hostile intentions. Assessment: this is going to be fun," as HK scanned his opponents, he raised his carbine to them, keeping a finger ready on the trigger. Ezra narrowed his eyes at the sight before him.

"You must be the Grand Inquisitor's droid. We didn't come this far to be stopped by the likes of you!"

"Clarification: I must disagree, meatbag. While my memory core may be currently damaged, I can still recall slaughtering more than a fair number of Jedi and Mandalorians over the centuries. Addendum: two more won't be a problem."

"Bold talk for a droid!" Sabine retorted as she began firing.

With amazing reflexes, HK dodged her shots as he began firing as well, his carbine rapidly discharging smaller but more frequent blaster bolts. Ezra stepped in front of Sabine to block the incoming blasterfire with his lightsaber before thrusting his free arm out in a Force push. To his surprise as well as that of his female teammate, their mechanical adversary instantly countered by magnetizing and locking his feet down on the metal floor beneath them, not moving an inch as he kept firing, forcing the two to stay on the defensive in the narrow corridor. HK dodged every deflected bolt to return in his direction while analyzing the combat performance of Ezra and Sabine.

"Assessment: target revaluation complete! Calculating optimal termination parameters!"

Ceasing his barrage of blasterfire, within milliseconds HK lowered his right wrist as a concealed flamethrower emerged from his forearm. A hissing noise signified the release of a jet of flame, which projected outward at his organic foes.

"Ezra!" Sabine called out to her slightly younger teammate who remained in a defensive stance in front of her. He extended his free hand in another Force push, this time dispersing the flames the instant they came close.

With his foes pinned down by the blazing onslaught, HK steadily began to approach them, keeping the fire pouring out in their direction. As he neared their location, a single autoturret emerged from its concealed perch in the ceiling above, immediately taking aim and firing at the ancient assassin droid. HK immediately had to stop his assault to dodge the incoming blasterfire, and both Ezra and Sabine quickly understood.

"It's Dodonna! He's directing the autoturrets to assist us!" the young Padawan told the teenage Mandalorian just above a whisper.

"Yeah, but we need to move!" Sabine replied urgently, noticing that while avoiding the turret, HK had pulled out and primed a thermal detonator.

"Mockery: hey meatbags, catch!"

Throwing the primed grenade through the air, both Ezra and Sabine took off in the opposite direction down the corridor. The explosion went off in mid-air, easily disabling the turret above. A short distance away, the two Rebels just barely avoided the blast, but the shockwave sent them both tumbling to the floor. Emerging from the flames behind them, HK-47 moved in for the kill.

* * *

As the infiltration continued inside the base below, up in orbit in one of the main hangar bays on board the _Furious Vengeance_ , the Seismic Bomb was firmly secured in place on the Imperial gunship prepped to carry it into the atmosphere. Four more gunships along with an escort squadron of TIE fighters were also being readied for deployment, all for the purpose of keeping the gunship carrying the bomb under sufficient guard. Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist stood ready to board said gunship with two troopers as other units moved to board the other gunships. Up on the bridge, Vice Admiral Thrawn relayed instructions to the deck officers.

"Bring us down into the upper atmosphere. The gunships are ready for deployment."

"Yes sir!" one of the officers replied without delay.

The sublight engines flared up on the stern of the Imperial flagship, and she slowly began to maneuver out and down from the rest of the blockade, making way for the cloudy sky over Worlport. It was only a matter of moments before the _Furious Vengeance_ entered lower orbit.

* * *

Back down inside the sublevel corridor in the Imperial base, HK took aim at Ezra, having calculated that the young Padawan presented a higher threat level than the teenage Mandalorian. Before he could fire, the ancient assassin droid had to dodge another blaster bolt. Sabine had gathered enough of her wits to recover one of her pistols and pull the trigger.

"Observation: Your stamina is impressive for a meatbag, female. Addendum: I'll have to fix that."

Momentarily distracted by Sabine, HK didn't see it coming when Ezra used the Force to throw him into the fire still raging behind them. Sabine almost felt the need to do a double take at the fierce expression on the face of her teammate.

"Ezra!" Sabine stood back up and moved over to him, helping him back up as well.

"Thanks," his expression softened upon shifting to her, and she nodded as she returned his smile from behind her visor.

However, the victory was short-lived, for the telltale sound of mechanical joints in action and the shadowy image of HK rising back to his own feet from within the flames signified their vicious mechanized enemy was not down for the count.

"Come on, this way!" Sabine told Ezra firmly as she took off towards the turbolift down the hall, and the boy immediately followed after her.

Once they arrived, Sabine frantically pressed the buttons on the turbolift console on the left side of the hallway. Ezra reignited his lightsaber as HK emerged from the flames, glowing red hot from the heat, but otherwise appearing unaffected.

"Statement: A pity that you meatbags aren't immune to temperatures up to ten thousand degrees, as I am," with his blaster carbine and flamethrower both easily overheated from being exposed to the fire, the droid extended his left arm his time, revealing a concealed missile launcher in his other forearm.

The former street orphan and the young artist only had mere nanoseconds to spare as they entered the turbolift ahead of the ensuing blast, the small missile detonating where they'd been standing just an instant ago. The doors closed and the lift was off. However, it had just barely cleared the level when both doors were torn out and tossed away, a still-blistering HK peering into the shaft and raising his head to analyze their ascent.

"I think that droid may be even worse than Chopper," Ezra told Sabine while catching his breath as they approached the top level of the base.

"Agreed," Sabine huffed out as she was equally winded.

Both Rebels struggled to keep their footing as the turbolift screeched to a halt. Another blast tore open a hole in the floor of the lift. Blinded by the smoke, Ezra yelped and gasped as two burning metal hands grabbed his ankles and pulled him out of the hole, throwing him down the shaft. HK had latched onto the bottom of the lift with his magnetized feet, hanging upside down as he resumed his assault.

"No!" Sabine shrieked at this terrifying sight, jumping across the hole to avoid HK's hands as they reached for her next. Ezra had used his lightsaber to stop his fall, jamming it into the wall. It slowly sliced downward through the reinforced metal, but eventually stopped, halting the young Padawan's descent. Looking back up as he regathered his bearings, he saw HK climb into the lift to face his teammate head on.

"Sabine, watch out! Don't let him touch your skin!"

Relieved as she heard her teammate's voice, Sabine drew both her blaster pistols again, but HK kicked them from her hands before she could fire a shot. The vicious assassin droid threw a punch, which she ducked to avoid as she attempted to kick his chassis. His left hand caught her foot, and she gasped as he dragged her down onto the floor, and cried out as he swiftly slammed his right arm joint down into her chestplate, slamming her hard onto her back. She gasped again as HK stepped on her chestplate with his right foot, and he moved to step on her unarmored mid-section next with his left, the heat not yet dissipated from his limbs.

"Mocking Inquiry: Well, does it hurt? No? How about now?"

Sabine screamed as she felt the blazing metal foot slam into her stomach, the fabric of her bodysuit incinerated from the spot instantly. HK watched silently, merely recording her torture with his photoreceptors for twisted visual memory.

Enraged and alarmed at the screams of his teammate, Ezra threw his lightsaber spinning up to the turbolift, the blade effortlessly slicing into the interior. His free hand held a firm grip on one of the lift tracks built into the wall. HK easily dodged the weapon, and it hit the wall beyond him instead. However, he was forced to let go of Sabine to do so, and Ezra immediately seized the droid with the Force and pulled him back out through the hole in the floor of the lift. HK managed to grab one of the blaster pistols on the floor of the left as he was pulled out, taking aim and firing at Ezra as he descended down the shaft towards him. Without his lightsaber, Ezra had no way to dodge the shots, and took two before he pushed HK back with the Force again, this time slamming the droid into the opposite wall in the shaft. Stunned, HK lost his grip on the blaster and tumbled down the shaft. Ezra pulled the blaster to his own hand, taking satisfaction as he watched the droid plummet out of sight.

Climbing up the lift tracks, Ezra leaped back into the lift as he neared. He reclaimed his lightsaber as he knelt beside Sabine, taking her helmet off as he did so. He grimaced at the sight of her stomach. It was clearly burned, but at least there were no signs of bleeding, internal or otherwise. He felt her hand grab his own and looked back to her face as she choked out a gasp and caught her breath.

"Seems… seems we've been making a habit of saving each other," she joked weakly with a smirk, and he returned the gesture.

"Sounds... ugh... just fine by me," Ezra grinned weakly as he nearly doubled over, his own injuries evident. Both Rebels helped each other up.

With the lift crippled and clearly disabled, there was only one way to keep going up. Opening the emergency hatch on the top, the young Padawan helped the teenage Mandalorian climb out with him. Using the tracks on the wall as their grip, the two began to climb their way to the top level, only two more floors above them. They both winced and grunted as they worked through the pain, knowing they needed to get to safety before treating their wounds. Buckling under its own weight with its support systems broken, the lift finally gave way and screeched back down the tracks below them.

The two Rebels could only watch as it fell. As it neared the sublevels, a lone missile hit it from below and blew it apart. Through the smoke and burning wreckage, both Ezra and Sabine could make out the glaring yellow photoreceptors of HK-47. The vicious, ancient assassin droid was not finished with his relentless pursuit.

 **A/N: Well, I hope that was enough action to sate you folks for a bit. I only ask you to please review if you would, as I greatly value your feedback. :) I will be posting the next two chapters back to back, a 2-part special leading into the climax!**


	7. Chapter 7: Musings of a Veteran

**Star Wars: Rebels: Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: I had originally envisioned both of this two part special I promised as a single chapter, but it appeared too long compared to the rest, so I decided to split it into two. Now, without further delay, here is Part 1 of the promised two-part special! I know all of you waited a while for this one, so thank you for your patience. Enjoy!**

 **I also wanted to take a moment to thank everyone who responded about my mother's condition and the depression I was going through. She's doing better now, as am I. We're both tougher than we look! Lol. Your kind words are much appreciated. :)**

 **Chapter 7: Musings of a Veteran**

Upon finally reaching the top level of the Imperial base, the young Padawan and the teenage Mandalorian quickly forced the doors to the turbolift shaft open crawled through. The duo knew that HK-47 was still active down at the bottom of the shaft, the dangerous mechanical foe not easily destroyed as they would have preferred. They winced as they carefully moved towards the officer's lounge, their wounds from the battle with the ancient continued to sting and ache, and would certainly require treatment sooner rather than later.

"In here!" Sabine informed her teammate as they came to a set of doors not far from the turbolift.

"Quickly!" Ezra grunted, the burns from the blaster marks taking their toll.

Within a moment of their arrival in front of the access to the lounge, the door flew open and both young Rebels were pulled in by a pair of arms. At last, they were face to face with the man they and their team had come all this way to find.

"General Dodonna!" Ezra immediately exclaimed, instantly recognizing his bearded face from the video and holocalls.

"Shhh!" the older man abruptly ushered the younger duo into the lounge and closed the door behind them, locking it by an emergency code he promptly entered in the panel to the left of the door on the inside. Turning around to face them again, Dodonna finally noticed the injuries already scarring his would-be rescuers, "Not good, I see you didn't escape that psychotic droid unscathed. Did you at least destroy or deactivate him?" the general was dismayed, but somewhat unsurprised when the teenage Mandalorian refuted his wishful thinking.

"No, he proved far more capable than any droid, or trooper for that matter, that we've faced before. Nearly killed us both in the turbolift shaft on the way up," Sabine didn't miss the concerned look on Ezra's face as she splayed her hand over her burned midsection, now blistering from where HK's scorching foot had stepped on her.

Dodonna didn't miss it either, nor did he notice the way Ezra limped as the young padawan moved to her side. Ushering them further into the lounge, the veteran general pulled out a medical kit from an emergency supply locker built into the wall on the left side behind the luxurious recliners. He gestured for them both to sit down as he moved back over to them.

"Well, the fact that you both managed to survive and reach this location is still an accomplishment as far as I am concerned. As I said, I've read the reports on that droid, and if even half the allegations about that unit are true, I'd be amazed if even a single trooper from a full battalion managed to survive being on the wrong end of his blasters. Now please, let me treat your wounds. It's the least I can do given the circumstances."

True to his word, Dodonna cleaned their wounds and applied antiseptic ointment and heavy-duty absorption bandaging to the young Rebels, and within a few minutes both were expertly patched up. Sabine was curious, as clearly this efficiency in medical care could only be provided by a professional. The military-graded medpac was not something available to civilians or even their doctors on the open market.

"Where'd you learn to treat wounded personnel like this?"

"Before I found myself climbing the ladder towards top brass, I was a specialist in the Republic Security Force, the closest thing the Old Republic senate allowed to an army before Palpatine's rise to power. My training included technical expertise and medical provision."

"That's right, I think Kanan mentioned you were with the Old Republic. So you've been a military man for a long time, then?" Ezra inquired with Dodonna, who nodded in affirmation.

"Yes. I originally enlisted forty four years ago. Wearing the uniform meant something good, something better back then, but everything changed after… after the Clone Wars," as he trailed off slowly, deep in thought and memory, both Sabine and Ezra listened intently.

"I believed in the cause the Empire was supposed to represent, I really did. I wanted to keep believing in the cause of galactic unity under a single banner, but I couldn't with a man like the Emperor calling the shots. The tyranny of fear, suppression, slavery, too many atrocities to count… I couldn't ignore it any longer. That's why I agreed to assist Aygo in his uprising, and it's also why I decided to reach out to you, my young friends," as Dodonna looked at them both, finishing with a firm voice and displaying a sincere expression, Sabine was the first to reply.

"The Rebellion will be fortunate to have someone like you in our ranks, general. An individual of your skills, experience, and heart is precisely what we're looking for as we continue to expand and solidify our threat to the Empire."

"She's right, general. We just need to get to that shuttle of yours, and alert the rest of our team to our success," Ezra stated straightforwardly. Dodonna however remained cautious.

"Your confidence is admirable, but don't let it blind you to what's going on in the moment, young one."

"Ugh! You're starting to sound like Kanan! Was being a Jedi part of your training as well?" Ezra replied sarcastically, to which Dodonna shook his head with a light chuckle, and Sabine merely rolled her eyes, a brief smirk manifesting with her lips.

"First thing's first. The way to my shuttle isn't exactly clear. With the base on high alert, patrols throughout the entire facility have been doubled, and there are guards on station around the clock at the landing platforms. We'll never be able to get past all of them in a fight, and my cover cannot be blown until it absolutely cannot be avoided, just for good measure. I have an idea, though."

"And that is?" Sabine inquired, eager to finish the mission. She knew as well as the others in her company did that the lounge would not be a private meeting point for long.

"The troopers will shoot at the both of you on sight, unless we provide them with a reason not to pull the trigger. So, you're both going to pretend to take me hostage. With my life on the line, as far as they know, they won't risk trying to take either of you down."

"What if the Grand Inquisitor supersedes your authority again? You said it yourself, he's already taken command of your troops and the base," Ezra interjected, his own sense of caution catching up with him.

"He shouldn't be returning to the base for at least another half standard hour, more than enough time to reach my shuttle and get out of here. Follow me, don't worry, the windows are tinted. We can't be seen from the outside," standing up and moving over to the windows at the back of the lounge, General Dodonna showed Ezra and Sabine the landing pad across the airfield that held his personal shuttle, ready for launch at any time, "We just need to head down two levels and make our way directly across to the platform. Just brandish your weapons, and maybe keep one of your blasters in my back, young Mandalorian. I'll order any troopers we come across to stand down. We should make haste. That droid will no doubt still be gunning for you two, and something tells me he won't hesitate to shoot through me to get to the both of you."

"Right," Sabine nodded as Ezra did the same.

"Let's get ready, then!" the young padawan added.

* * *

As this was taking place, back down in the venting tunnels, Kanan and the others had been sitting in uncomfortable silence, their lengthy stay courtesy of the emergency containment lockdown far from over. Zeb grumbled, the Lasat warrior breaking the eerie calm as his patience wore thin.

"I don't know how much more of this I can take, just sitting here and doing nothing while Ezra and Sabine risk their lives inside Imperial central up above!"

"I get it, Zeb, I do, but there's nothing we can do about it. We simply need to have faith and patience. You trust in them and their abilities, right?" Kanan asked his older teammate.

"Yeah, I trust them, but not the odds they're facing," Zeb replied sharply before shifting his focus to Aygo as the grizzled Bothan cleared his throat. Kanan looked over as well.

"You both have your points. The odds aren't particularly in their favor, but it's all we got to go on. Besides, General Dodonna will without a doubt do everything in his power to assist them. He's certainly not one to just sit around and wait things out."

At that moment, a loud mechanical thundering erupted from behind both of the twin sets of containment doors keeping the group sealed in. Before any of them had a chance to become alarmed, Aygo realized he was receiving another holocall as well. Upon answering it, he found his familiar Twi'lek lieutenant on the other line.

"Rajom! What's going on?! Answer me, soldier!" Aygo barked quickly and sternly.

"Lieutenant Governor Aygo, sir! Utilizing the sewers beneath the city, a squad of our boys was able to make it to the processing center, on my orders. They were able to hack into the mainframe and manually speed up the extraction of the gasses in the vents. Numerous safety protocols had to be bypassed, but the air in the tunnels should be safe to breathe when the doors open in just a few minutes. Just keep moving and don't touch anything the rest of the way to the base, the residue won't be completely cleared away."

"Excellent work, Rajom! You heard him, everyone, prepare to move out!"

As Aygo finished the holocall, Kanan and the others returned to their feet as he did the same. Now with this new development, it would seem that the Rebels and the Freedom Coalition were back in this fight, together.

 **A/N: Continued immediately in Chapter 8!**


	8. Chapter 8: Playing the Part

**Star Wars: Rebels: Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: Here's Part 2 of the promised two-part special as promised! Enjoy! :)**

 **Chapter 8: Playing the Part**

Meanwhile back inside the officer's lounge in the Imperial base, General Dodonna and his young, new allies were ready to begin their escape. After voluntarily disarming himself to aid in the appearance of being an innocent and helpless hostage, by discarding his blaster and two grenades, the older man faced his would-be rescuers, informing them he was ready. He saw that Sabine had reloaded the cells on her own blasters, and Ezra had kept watch out the windows.

"Okay, all set. You two ready to go?" hearing the general's words, Ezra turned around back to them as Sabine finished inspecting the closest route to the airfield via the base's layout on her ragefinder, which had been uploaded earlier courtesy of Dodonna.

"All set, here. A patrol is walking by outside. We should make our move once they're gone," the young padawan informed the others. Dodonna quickly nodded in approval.

"A good idea; try to time our escape between exterior patrols. The less obstacles we encounter between here and the platform, the better. You know, you've got an eye for strategy yourself, young one," the veteran general commented. Sabine didn't miss their words, chiming in immediately after.

"He has his moments," she said with a snarky tone, giving her slightly younger teammate a smirk from under her helmet.

Now it was his turn to rolls his eyes as he returned her gesture, sensing her teasing expression even with her face obscured. They both missed the older military officer off to their side as he gave a light smile at their display, musing to himself regarding the both of them, this time.

Despite himself, the general pondered the evidence that there was something about these two neither one was telling him. Perhaps, somehow, they didn't even see it, themselves.

"Ready when you are, general," the words of the teenage Mandalorian pulled him from his thoughts. Ezra nodded as well. Dodonna returned the gesture as he spoke.

"Very well, we shouldn't waste any more time. Let's move out immediately," and with that declaration, the older veteran and his younger allies made their move.

* * *

Down in the sublevel storage room, the squad of troopers that had been knocked unconscious earlier by the two younger Rebels began groaning as they finally came to, a few of them crawling across the floor to recover their blasters as they slowly began to recover their senses. Climbing back to his feet, the sergeant was the first to address his team.

"On your feet, men! We've got no idea what the current situation is thanks to that involuntary nap. Rebel scum!" the sergeant cursed their attackers as his men slowly got back up as he did.

"Well, at least we're not dead, so that's something," one of the troopers replied as he stood up.

As if on cue, at that moment, Kanan leapt into the room through the hole in the floor. Both Zeb and Aygo climbed in as well immediately after. Both parties raised their weapons at one another.

"A jedi? Just great! Open fire!" the sergeant ordered. His squad obeyed immediately.

Easily deflecting the blaster bolts, Kanan incapacitated most of the squad with no visible strain. The sergeant lunged forward, intending to try and strike the intruders with the blunt force of his rifle instead, but Zeb's own brute strength was too much and a blow to the helmet with a Lasat bow-rifle, combined with a drop kick from Aygo, sent him flying back into the storage crates. A lone Force push from Kanan sent the rest of the squad back as well.

"Let's move!" Kanan told the rest of his team as Kavir and the other Freedom Coalition operatives climbed in through the hole as well.

The Rebels and their allies quickly left through the door, leaving the stunned squad alone once again. They began to regather their wits a second time as the same trooper from before spoke up.

"Well now, at least we're still not dead. Gotta be grateful for that!"

"Shut the hell up, private!" the sergeant barked sternly in irritation.

"Yes sir," the trooper replied.

* * *

Meanwhile on the upper levels, the younger Rebels along with the general were steadily making their way down the hall towards the entrance to the airfield, having taken another turbolift without incident. It was to their relief that she automated security system was still disabled; no autoturrets or any visual cameras were active. Once the doors to the airfield opened, however, it became apparent they would no longer be able to move unseen. At least a full company of troopers were scattered throughout the area, guarding the premises.

"Okay, now just like we planned," Dodonna whispered to Ezra and Sabine, the latter of whom pressed one of her blasters into his back as requested. Ezra drew and ignited his lightsaber to help sell the act.

"All right, move, Imperial dog!" the young padawan ordered harshly. As the troopers looked over in their direction, Sabine reinforced the deception by tapping the blaster in Dodonna's back as he raised his hands in apparent surrender and submission.

"You dirty no good Rebel scum!" Dodonna retorted as he snarled at them from over his shoulder. The teenage Mandalorian was grinning beneath her helmet. They just might pull this off.

"Don't try to interfere! We're taking the general with us!" said young artist called out to the alerted personnel who looked to their general for his orders. They had raised their blasters as they moved closer.

"Do as they say, men! I've been out of worse situations than this! Trust me!" feigning the part of a confident prisoner, the general urgently ordered the troopers to keep their distance and not open fire, and they silently obeyed.

Soon, the younger Rebels and the general were close to the personal shuttle of the latter, boarding ramp extended and access open. At that moment, the rest of their team came charging in from a side entrance. The familiar faces caught the attention of the smaller group immediately, as did the familiar presences Ezra had sensed abruptly.

"You two, and General Dodonna!" Aygo was the first to address them. Before their charade could fall apart, Sabine had quickly thought of a way to hold everything together.

"Lieutenant Governor Aygo, sir, we have the general as you ordered! Shall we make our escape together, sir?"

Kanan and Zeb both looked like they needed a moment to process what was going on, but Aygo picked up on it faster and responded before they could.

"Excellent work, soldiers! Yes, let's get out of here! To the shuttle!" and with that the Rebels and their allies regrouped with Dodonna, quickly moving towards the landing back and up onto the shuttle as the troopers watched in silence.

* * *

What none of the other team realized was that the video feed from the helmets of their foes was transmitting back to Colonel Veers in the command room, who had forwarded the live video directly to Vice Admiral Thrawn up in lower orbit on the bridge of the _Furious Vengeance_ , contacting the admiral himself via hologram. Having been updated on the situation by below previously by the Grand Inquisitor, the Chiss tactical genius decided to make a judgement call, knowing the Grand Inquisitor was otherwise engaged overseeing deployment of the Seismic Bomb. The Imperial flagship would be deploying the gunships once inside the atmosphere in a matter of moments.

"I recognize the ones working with Aygo and abducting the general from the reports the fleet has received. Colonel, they cannot be allowed to escape. Their capture or demise outweighs the life of your superior officer. Stop that shuttle from escaping at all costs," as Thrawn gave his orders, cold and factual to the point, Veers responded without hesitation.

"Yes sir! All batteries, open fire!" as the decorated colonel relayed instructions to his personnel, Thrawn switched frequencies to contact his own superior.

"Grand Inquisitor, sir, I know you are about to embark with the gunships any second now, but I think you'll be most interested in knowing the identities of some newcomers to this little civil war we've come to deal with," the Chiss was immediately asked to give the rundown.

"Then speak freely, but make it fast," the Grand Inquisitor replied.

"Will do, sir."

* * *

Back down in the Imperial base, General Dodonna's personal shuttle began to lift off with Sabine at the controls. Further back in the main cabin, some introductions had been in order. Kanan shook the hand of his new ally.

"Pleased to finally meet you in person, sir."

"Likewise. You are among the last of the Jedi from the old order, are you not? The honor is mine," Dodonna replied respectfully. He then looked over to Aygo who sat next to him, offering him his hand as well, "Lieutenant Governor Eiten Aygo. You look just as mean as you do through the holonet," the veteran general joked as Aygo shook his hand with a smirk.

"And you have just as many wrinkles as you appeared to, old man," both Aygo and Dodonna chuckled at the words of the former.

As the shuttle began taking off, the focus of everyone further back in the shuttle was diverted to Sabine just ahead of them in the cockpit as she alerted them to a new danger.

"I'm afraid we're not out of this yet! Brace yourselves!" the teenage Mandalorian activated the deflector shields as the base's anti-air turrets rotated to lock onto the shuttle.

Without warning, they opened fire in a steady barrage, forcing Sabine to immediately engage in evasive maneuvers to avoid being overwhelmed in seconds. The shuttle violently shook at it was still hit from all sides, even with successfully dodging the full barrage.

"Sabine, feel free to punch it!" Kanan ordered as he grabbed onto a hand rail.

"Already on it!" the young artist called back as she gunned the accelerator, speeding off towards the city outside to the north. Just a moment before they cleared the base, HK-47 had emerged on the northern wall, taking aim with a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher he had acquired while indoors.

"Mockery: Try dodging this, you feeble meatbags!"

Pulling the trigger immediately after he finished speaking, the droid recorded the sight in utmost satisfaction as the missile sped toward the engines of the shuttle, locked on target. Even at full speed, Sabine could not avoid or dodge the rocket, especially since it was fired at such close range. The high-speed explosive detonated upon slamming into the aft of the shuttle, the shields having already been worn down from the turrets.

A lone gunship, loaded with a squad of troopers, took off from the base, apparently having been the only one ready for flight at the time. They gave chase as the shuttle went down into a city street, leaving a thick trail of smoke behind it. Thankfully the shuttle landed upright, though its horizontal wings and underside were scraped and torn off against the hard pavement, rendering the entire craft disabled. The landing had been rough, but not enough to cause any serious injury to the pilot or passengers. At that moment, the _Furious Vengeance_ deployed the gunships and escort squadron of TIE fighters, having entered the upper atmosphere. The Grand Inquisitor observed the war-torn city below from his perch on board the center gunship with the Seismic Bomb.

Utilizing the Force, Kanan and Ezra blew out the forward windshield on the disabled shuttle, providing an alternative means to evacuate the wreck as the boarding ramp was firmly jammed shut on the underside. The two Jedi were the first to set foot out onto the street. The lone gunship that had given chase landed right in front of them, the squad it carried disembarking and taking their shots immediately. Lightsabers drawn and ignited, the two Jedi shielded the rest of the team behind them, deflecting the blaster bolts and using the Force to not only disable their attackers, but rip open the hatch to the cockpit of the gunship and pull the pilot from within, throwing him aside telekinetically as well.

"Is it just me, or do you Jedi have a habit of stealing all the fun," Zeb half-joked as he crawled out and back onto his feet with the others.

"I see now why the Empire was so eager to try to get rid of you all. You guys are awesome!" Kavir told Kanan and Ezra in awe of their display.

"Thanks, we try," Ezra replied as he grinned at the praise. Kanan turned to Sabine, requiring her pilot skills once more.

"Take control of that gunship, we'll be using it the rest of the way," the Jedi Knight told her, and she nodded and ran over to the forward hatch to the cockpit without delay.

"I'm on it!" she called back over her shoulder.

"Everyone, get on that gunship! Before Imperial reinforcements arrive!" Aygo ordered sternly.

Little did everyone present know, there would be no Imperial reinforcements coming to stop them. For as the Rebels and their allies boarded the gunship in front of them, off to the distance high in the skies above, the Grand Inquisitor and his top secret payload were getting ever closer to the calculated bombing site.

 **A/N: The next chapter is already in progress, and it will be the climax of the story. The moment of truth, ladies and gentlemen. I hope to see you there. ;) I hope you enjoyed these last two chapters! Feel free to leave your thoughts, as again I always value your input!**


	9. Chapter 9: Understand Agony

**Star Wars: Rebels: Rising Darkness**

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: Well, here we are my respected readers, the climax of the story! I actually found myself proofreading this one more than any other chapter thus far. I hope you all enjoy. ;)**

 **Warning: Severe depiction of a disaster/wartime devastation scenario is featured in this chapter, including depictions of both mass destruction and death.**

 **Chapter 9: Understand Agony**

Barreling through the cityscape, the Rebels and the Freedom Coalition operatives had just cleared the range of the Imperial base's anti-air turrets. With the Imperials still jamming the comm channels, Kanan used Aygo's holodevice to contact Hera and let her know they were on their way back to the spaceport with General Dodonna, as soon as Aygo and his men were dropped off back at the Freedom Coalition HQ.

"Another job well done I see," Hera smirked as she spoke to Kanan, regarding Dodonna who nodded at her respectfully.

"More or less, just another typical day, really," the newly-promoted Jedi Knight replied with a grin. In the background, Zeb rolled his eyes.

"Get a room, you two," as the Lasat warrior finished his remark, Kanan and Hera both noticeably blushed as Ezra and Kavir chuckled. Aygo paid them no heed as he was observing the Imperial fleet above them, still in full blockade around the planet.

"I wish you Rebels the greatest of fortune in getting past the Imperial ships out there. Rajom back at HQ confirmed for me earlier that it's a full planet-wide quarantine; no ship is allowed in or out of the atmosphere under threat of their guns," as the grizzled Bothan continued to stare at the massive ships in orbit, Ezra didn't seem to share his concern.

"We'll find a way out, we've survived worse."

The gunship continued to move ever closer to its first stop with Sabine at the controls. However at this moment, with his holocall with Hera concluded, Kanan could make out a group of gunships in the distance approaching the center of the city, a squadron of TIE fighters providing cover.

* * *

Aboard the gunship in the center of the aerial formation, the Grand Inquisitor stood with the Seismic Bomb to his back, looking down at the city below. The streets covered in the scars of the ongoing civil war, the damaged buildings and wrecked speeders bearing the telltale signs of it all. It was all about to come to an end. The airborne formation ground to a halt at their destination, directly over the center of the city, a commercial district with a scenic park. The afternoon sun shined hotly above them. For a moment, for Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist and the personnel he had brought with him, the eerie calm had captured their attention. Temporary silence between fighting, a stillness unbearable in times of war, disrupted only by the roar of the TIE squadron flying around them, and the hum of the repulsorlift engines on their gunships.

At once the Grand Inquisitor turned around to face his secret weapon, the Seismic Bomb. Entering an access code via an uplink on a data pad, one of the troopers turned to him as the red light on the side of the bomb began to blink in and out slowly.

"It's armed, sir. Ready for deployment at your leisure," the armored soldier informed his superior.

The menacing master of the Dark Side said nothing as he slowly outstretched both his arms, his gloved palms splayed open as he did so. He spoke declaratively after a moment of silence, as if in contemplation.

"Those who resist the order and the peace of the Empire incite the kind of war we see below us. In their absurd arrogance, they believe they get to disrupt the stability of society for their own selfish desires. Those who do not know what it means to truly suffer will never understand the value of true peace. It is time for the citizens of this world to know. They will know what it means to be rent of everything, left with nothing. The misery of loss and loneliness, the pain of being surrounded with death and destruction. That is the kind of suffering they must know. This world will understand agony."

Summoning the power of the Force, the Grand Inquisitor thrust both of his arms forward, and in a tremendous push the massive bomb was heaved from its restraints and out the left side of the gunship.

"Pull up!" the pilot of the gunship urgently told the rest of the formation and the escorts over his comm, and they did so.

The gunships and the TIE squadron soared upwards, higher into the sky and out of range of the bomb. The Grand Inquisitor merely watched in silence as the bomb plummeted down to the city, reaching out through the Force with his right hand. A lone Force lock placed on the bomb began to activate as it neared the ground.

* * *

At this point the stolen gunship was nearing the Ruby Sanctum Hotel and Casino Worlport, the Freedom Coalition HQ. Through the cityscape, Kanan didn't miss the ominous sight of the Seismic Bomb being deployed from the gunships higher up in the distance. His eyes widened in horror at the sight.

"Sabine, full throttle! We gotta move!" he called out to the teenage Mandalorian piloting their craft while pointing in the direction of the bomb.

Aygo spotted the ordinance as it neared the ground and immediately took on a similar expression to the Jedi Knight.

"Brace yourselves!"

The rest of the team hunkered down within the gunship, tightening their grip on the handrails. At that moment, the Seismic Bomb detonated just a few feet above the ground. The surge of electromagnetic energy hummed as the weapon first collapsed in upon itself, and then a pulsing burst thrust gigantic waves of the energy outwards, seismic shockwaves that surged forth in all directions.

The sheer destructive force was overwhelming. Within seconds the ground buckled and gave way, a massive crater forming in the surface of the city. As the shockwaves spread outwards at an ever-increasing radius, dozens upon dozens of buildings including towering high rises were literally knocked off their foundations, inverting towards ground zero, tumbling and shattering at an angle down towards the crater forming beneath them. Speeders, either parked or wrecked throughout the city went flying, smashing through the crumbling buildings all around them. If the sounds of crashing and crumbling, and the screeching of metal breaking upon metal hadn't been drowning them out, the screams and cries of the people trapped inside the collapsing buildings would have been echoing throughout the city. Shards of glass and metal along with chunks of duracrete were flying and falling everywhere.

Within twenty seconds of the initial detonation virtually seventy five percent of the entire city was leveled, humongous dust clouds rising from the collapsing buildings and other debris. Finally just moments later the shockwaves reached the outlying streets, including the district by the beach with the Ruby Sanctum. The pulse was so intense even in the air, the stolen gunship was instantly and violently thrown off-course, spinning out of control despite the best attempts of its young pilot. Kavir quickly lost his grip, having been on the side to take the brunt of the shockwave. He was knocked from the gunship and tumbled down to the surface below, screaming as he did so.

"Kavir! No! Nooo!" Ezra shouted in terror at the sight.

"Damn it! Damn it!" Eiten cursed, equally horrified at losing his longtime ally. Dodonna was at a complete loss for words as he grit his teeth in disbelief.

"Hold on!" Sabine told those in the canopy of the gunship, her control of the craft completely lost.

Diverting full power to the repulsorlift thrusters, Sabine put them in full reverse as she turned a hard left, in a frantic effort to counteract the right-ward spiraling of the gunship. It worked just in time to set the ship in a forward course again, but the force of the shockwave was still too much to outperform. The gunship slammed down onto the roof of the resort just beyond the south tower on the building, sparks flying as the metal underside grinded against the concrete-paved balcony on the rooftop.

By now the seismic shockwaves had lost their destructive power, causing no damage to the Imperial base, the government building, or the spaceport which all lay on the fringes of the city. The last traces of their might had hit the Ruby Sanctum, causing severe damage to the foundations beneath the basement and shattering most of the windows. The building was still standing, but was slanting towards the crater and debris field just beyond in front of it. The structural stability was compromised, to put it lightly. The gunship had come to a stop just in front of the central tower in the building, Sabine and everyone else battered and bruised from the impact. Amazingly, the engines were still on, albeit suffering moderate damage. The gunship would still fly, though much slower than designed to.

Everyone groaned as they regained their senses and collected themselves. Aygo had hit his head on the partially-reacted shield door on the left side, blood staining his fur as it ran down the right side of his face. Ezra and Zeb crawled back to their feet and quickly ran out onto the rooftop balcony, over to the edge facing the city in front of the building. Only the sight of rubble and the rising collective dust cloud could be seen, no signs of Kavir anywhere. Dodonna and Kanan had both been thrown to the back of the gunship, and helped each other to their feet before assisting Aygo, who evidently was suffering from a concussion from his bleeding head injury.

Sabine cautiously crawled out of the cockpit as she opened the forward hatch on the windshield, her helmet being the only thing that spared her from a similar blow to the head. She gasped as she caught sight of the devastation around them, having been denied a clear view of the carnage while trying to retake control of the craft.

Shrugging away from Kanan and Dodonna as he stumbled near Ezra and Zeb on the edge of the rooftop balcony, Aygo collapsed to his knees, his face contorting in what could only be described as a combination of disbelief and pure rage at the sight of his city all but completely demolished. By now, the groaning and cries of the wounded and dying emanated from the piles of debris within the dust cloud.

On the opposite side of the city on the outskirts, the very few survivors from inside the carnage who still had enough mobility to try walking were attempting to flee the devastation behind them. Every last one was immediately gunned down by the Imperial forces entrenched outside the city, including the 338th Legion.

Aygo roared out in sheer anguish and desperation, the trauma of the nightmare before him and the others too much to handle in silence any longer.

"Damn them all! Filthy Imperial sons of murglaks and disgusting schuttas! I'll kill them! I'll KILL THEM ALL! AAAAAAHHHHHH!" Aygo howled at the very top of his lungs as blood and tears streamed down his face. At that moment, one of his lieutenants, a human male, arrived on the rooftop from a door into the central tower.

"Deputy Governor, sir, you're needed inside immediately! Imperial forces are mobilizing toward the government building! I think they mean to free the prisoners now that we're cut off from the location!" with this message relayed, rising to his feet, Aygo turned to the Rebels and the defector general, Bidding them his farewell.

"Get back on that gunship and go, now. My work here is not finished," as he finished, he waited for Kanan to speak as the Jedi Knight stepped forward abruptly.

"Aygo, virtually the entire complement of your resistance fighters were in the city when the bomb went off. You can't take on the Empire in battle, your uprising is at an end. Please, come with us. A man of your expertise would be most welcome in the Rebellion," Aygo immediately shook his head at the suggestion. Ezra and Zeb moved back towards the rest of their team as he replied.

"My place is with the people of Ord Mantell. I started this with them, and I'll finish it with them. If anything, it will buy you the time you need to make your escape, while their forces are occupied dealing with us. Now go, I'm not dead yet," Aygo told the Rebels sternly as he stared at them with conviction.

Sabine felt a hand on her shoulder as her eyes remained glued to the unthinkable devastation around them. She found Ezra had stepped over to her, and she reached up and closed her hand around his. His expression mirrored her own, a mix of shock, anguish, and disbelief. Reconstituting herself as best she could, the teenage Mandalorian moved back towards the cockpit of the gunship at a brisk pace.

"If we're going, then we need to go now. Imperial forces will be moving to take back what's left of this place any minute," Sabine informed the others, accepting Aygo's decision to stay behind.

* * *

Unknown to anyone present, off in the distance out on the outskirts, the 338th Legion began advancing towards the ruined city, the other trooper divisions spreading to cover the positions behind the barricades they were leaving. Two full units of AT-ST's and AT-DP's moved up behind to cover their advance, as if they really needed the extra firepower at this point.

* * *

Reluctantly, the Rebels along with General Dodonna boarded the gunship once again as Sabine powered up what remained of the engines. The damage was just minimal enough to get the craft off the ground again. Dodonna and the others turned to face Aygo as he and his men moved to head down into the building beneath their feet.

"Aygo, take care of yourself. You've been a good friend," the veteran general told his ally sincerely.

"That goes for you as well, general," Aygo replied. Both men saluted one another as the gunship slowly and clumsily lifted off once more, and soon departed as steadily as Sabine could manage under the condition it was in. Aygo and his subordinates quickly ran inside the central tower and out of sight.

The stolen and damaged gunship had just barely cleared the third tower on the north end of the building when a barrage of heavy blasterfire struck the right left corner of the aft end, disabling what remained of the engines instantly. The gunship, now completely out of commission, spun out again as it fell toward the beach below. Timing herself just right, Sabine utilized the emergency brakes and sealed the doors, both among the few functions she could muster control over, to dampen their impact. The gunship slammed into the sand, cratering the beach upon impact and tumbling over and over as the wings snapped off before coming to rest on its side.

The source of the sudden attack had been another gunship, the same one that had deployed the bomb just minutes prior. Encircling the damaged building below, the pilot gave the Grand Inquisitor a clear access point, which the menacing Dark Side master did not hesitate to use. Calling upon his power, he leaped from the gunship's canopy and down to the steps that led up to the main entrance. He landed gracefully on both feet, drawing and igniting just one of his two lightsabers, his custom-built one, before using the Force to charge through the front of the building with unbelievable speed, a single slash of his blade breaking apart the already damaged twin glass doors.

Inside the main lobby, the Freedom Coalition volunteers who had been fortunate enough to be this far from the blast zone of the devastating bomb immediately began shooting with their blasters. It was a useless measure, for Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist effortlessly dodged and deflected every bolt, taking more than a few down that way before he was upon the rest within the blink of an eye. Without hesitation or even a word he sliced the militiamen apart with his blade, clearing the entire room including the other side of the makeshift barricade in mere moments. He then set his sights on the turbolifts to the upper levels.

Up in the luxury penthouse atop the central tower, Aygo and his men were struggling to try and establish contact with their forces in the government building, now under the command of Rajom who had gone there minutes before the bomb was dropped. The blast had severed the city's connection to the holonet, leaving the private Imperial channels the only ones still active, and with their equipment knocked out by the shockwaves, trying to slice into those at this point was nearly impossible.

A loud bang that emanated from outside the entry doors to the penthouse pulled Aygo and the others with him from their focus, the haunting sounds of vain blasterfire, a lightsaber cutting flesh, and the resulting dying screams, immediately following before silence resumed. The grizzled Bothan and his cohorts drew their blasters and took aim at the doors, still sealed shut from the inside.

"Shoot to kill immediately," Aygo told his loyalists.

"Yes sir," one of them, a male Devaronian, replied.

Just seconds later, both doors flew from their frame, the Freedom Coalition personnel docking and dodging to avoid them just in time as they smashed into the disabled computers and visual screen on the wall behind them. They immediately took aim and fired as instructed, to no avail.

The Grand Inquisitor first disabled Aygo by deflecting three bolts into him, the Evocii watching the Bothan tumble to the floor before setting himself upon the rest. It was over as quickly as the struggle began. The lone Devaronian was the last one standing. The Grand Inquisitor used a single Force push with his free left hand to hurl the screaming man out the windows and down to the pavement below in front of the building. Aygo desperately tried to reach for his blaster, but his nemesis promptly stepped on it with his right foot, keeping it in place on the floor. Looking up, the wounded Bothan gazed into the crimson eyes of the Grand Inquisitor, and found them to be glaring intensely back at him.

"Your efforts were valiant, but in the end, futile."

Shoving Aygo back with the Force, Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist stopped just short of telekinetically sliding the Bothan right out the same set of windows in front. Looking over his shoulder behind him, Aygo could see the bloodstain beneath the broken corpse of the Devaronian on the pavement outside on the bottom level. Struggling to his feet, gritting his teeth as he grunted lowly through the pain, he glared back at the vicious Imperial.

"I'm glad… you're here… Imperial lapdog… now I get to avenge my people… and our capital…!" Aygo remained defiant even as he nearly doubled over and fell back to the floor, his injuries severe.

"Stubborn to the very end. Look around you, you and your uprising are both finished. One last chance, surrender. I will ensure you receive a fair trial in the high courts," the Grand Inquisitor made one last offer for this to end without further violence, but as far as Aygo was concerned, it was far too late.

"I've seen more than enough of Imperial 'justice' for one day! Die, you disgusting murderer!" Aygo spat as he drew the vibrosword sheathed on his back and lunged.

His charge was clumsy and was not without stumbling, but the grizzled and bloodied Bothan yelled through the pain, using both hands in an attempt to bring his blade down on the Grand Inquisitor, who effortlessly ducked and dodged to avoid every blow. The menacing Dark Side master mused that the pure adrenaline allowing his opponent to put up a substantial fighting effort at this point was impressive, even if meaningless.

In the next instant, a single slash with his lightsaber nearly bisected Aygo through the stomach, cutting through both his forearms in the process as well and dropping the vibrosword to the floor. Aygo howled out in agony as he fell to the floor face-down, completely helpless at this point and nearly paralyzed. Telltale footsteps alerted him as the Grand Inquisitor approached, deactivating and sheathing his lightsaber as he did so.

"Your reaction time even while severely wounded and acting on blind rage is impressive, Lieutenant Governor. If you had been but a nanosecond slower in your response in attempting to back up, I would have completely cut through your spinal cord, rather than nicking it as I just did," the Evocii noted how the crippled Bothan was attempted to keep moving even under these new permanently debilitating injuries, "You really should just lay still. You may still have feeling in your legs, but your arms are severed at the elbows and your spine is barely connected together at this point. It's not a matter of willpower, but a simple structural impossibility."

Snarling at the cold and condescending words of his victorious foe, Aygo struggled to look over his shoulder and up at the man standing over him.

"You may as well… finish me off… but I promise you… the Rebellion will be your undoing…" blood was running from his mouth at this point.

"Bold words, but not convincing all the same," and with that, the Grand Inquisitor slammed his right foot down into Aygo's back.

He had been defiant and stalwart in his conviction to the end, and the crippled Bothan screamed out in sheer agony as the boot in his back finally snapped his damaged spinal cord, effectively severing his broken body in two and killing him.

Leaving the morbid scene at his feet behind, the Grand Inquisitor pressed a button on the device on his right wrist, sending a signal to the gunship pilot. Shattering the glass out the back windows with the Force, the menacing Dark Side master leaped up back into the sky above, landing back on the gunship as it came back around with perfect timing. Outstretching both his palms as he thrust his arms outward again, looking down at the building below, the Grand Inquisitor used his power to break apart the already severely damaged foundations below the basement of the building.

The Ruby Sanctum Hotel and Casino Worlport, which had served as the HQ of the uprising for weeks, crumbled down to the ground below under its own weight, entombing the corpses of all the Freedom Coalition personnel inside, including the body of their respected leader. The uprising on Ord Mantell was officially and thoroughly crushed.

* * *

As this was taking place, outside the entrance to the government building, a detachment of the 338th Legion, with Commander Alpha leading them, were steadily advancing towards the barricade at the front doors, the few remaining resistance inside firing back as best they could, but they were wounded, exhausted, and running low on ammo. Rajom relayed instructions from the upper levels via holodevice to a Human militiaman leading the others behind the front doors. He was coordinating from further back near the overturned reception desk, which had a stolen E-web repeater turret set up behind it. A firing team among the dwindling militia was busy loading it.

"Hold the line as long as you can! We're completely surrounded, there is no retreat! If we're going down, then we're going down fighting!"

"So be it! We'll keep fighting to the end!" the ranking militiaman affirmed.

"Commentary: Agreed, that will be the most entertaining solution to your predicament, meatbags."

The Human militiaman turned around and saw that HK-47 had dropped down through the ceiling, using both hands to strangle the two resistance fighters at the E-web behind the desk, and snapping their necks in the next instant. Growling, the Human raised his rifle and took aim at the droid, enraged at the sight before him. The ancient assassin droid offered no remorse or even another word.

* * *

Meanwhile, back up inside the canopy of the gunship that had deployed the bomb just minutes prior, the Grand Inquisitor shifted his focus to the downed gunship on the beach ahead of them, noticing the occupants were crawling out of the downed craft. He merely narrowed his eyes at the sight, ready to confront them at long last.

 **A/N: The next chapter is the one that I suspect most of you have been waiting for, the battle between the new Grand Inquisitor and our favorite team of Rebels, well, Rebels outside of the Original Trilogy that is! This is what it has all been leading up to! I hope to see more reviews from you folks before then, as I would greatly like to see your thoughts on the story so far. Your continued support has made this all worthwhile, so once more, thank you. :)**


	10. Chapter 10: Amongst the Ruins

Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: Hello to you again my most respected readers! This chapter took a lot of time and proofreading because I was dedicated to get it as close to perfect as I could. I apologize for the unexpected delay. Now, it is time for the final battle on Ord Mantell. The Rebels versus the new Grand Inquisitor. And plus some more development for Ezrabine towards the end. The wait is over, so enjoy! :)**

Chapter 10: Amongst the Ruins

From within the broken wreckage of the stolen Imperial gunship, the Rebels along with General Dodonna began to crawl out in a similar fashion to what they had to do from the downed shuttle just minutes prior. Upon gathering his bearings, Ezra quickly went around to the front to help Sabine out from the cockpit. Thankfully, the task was made significantly easier because the windshield had been completely destroyed upon impact into the sandy beach beneath them. Helping the teenage Mandalorian back on her feet, the young Padawan noticed Kanan and Zeb were aiding Dodonna in getting back up as well. The older general lacked the quick reflexes of his youth. For her part, Sabine was the first to catch what had transpired back at the former luxury resort behind them.

"No…"

Following the gaze of the young artist, the others mirrored her expression at the sight of the dust cloud permeating where the Freedom Coalition HQ had been standing. To say this didn't compound the shock and desperation they already felt at the loss of the rest of the city would have been an understatement. Ezra was the first to formulate his thoughts enough to speak up.

"Come on! We need to help Aygo and his men!" immediately running off in the direction of the dust cloud, halting immediately at the voice of his master.

"No, Ezra! We can't help them now…" Kanan trailed off solemnly, the ominous presence of the Dark Side growing closer. Sabine found the reason why.

"Look! Inbound gunship!" the teenage Mandalorian shouted, zooming on via her rangefinder as the atmospheric assault craft closed in on their location.

"No…" Kanan couldn't help but mutter aloud, his eyes growing wide the moment the truth became undeniable, "General, stay back! Everyone else, get your weapons ready!"

"We'll take that thing no problem!" Zeb growled, raising his bow-rifle.

"That's not what I think he means…" Ezra replied as he too finally sensed the approaching eminence that was the Dark Side.

The gunship began to circle around the crash site rather than opening fire. It was then and there that the Rebels and General Dodonna got their first glimpse at who was behind everything that had transpired against them since the mission had begun. Grand Inquisitor Dunkel Nachtgeist, an Evocii, former slave boy to the Hutts, now leader of the Imperial Inquisition serving directly under Darth Vader and Emperor Palpatine himself. The aura of the Dark Side permeated around him, emanating from his very being as he stared down at his enemies below. Crimson red eyes glared from under his hood and above the half-mask covering his nose, mouth, and jaw.

Without wasting any time or even uttering a word, the Grand Inquisitor leaped from the canopy of the gunship once more, both his robes and cloak billowing up through the air as he descended, the intensity of his gaze never leaving his eyes. Kanan and Ezra drew and ignited their lightsabers, and Zeb kept his bow-rifle raised as Sabine drew and did the same with her blaster pistols. Dodonna dropped to his knees behind the team, intending to resume the act of being an unwilling hostage. The moment seemed longer than it truly was, but finally the menacing Dark Side master elegantly landed on both feet a short distance away, his cloak coming to rest and increasing his silhouette upon the sandy shoreline around them. After another long, tense moment, he finally spoke in a mirthless, sinister tone that was enough to unnerve his opponents despite their continued resolve.

"I must admit, when I was first informed of your arrival on this battlefield, I was actually somewhat surprised. But then I remembered that your crew seems to have a habit of showing up precisely when and where it is most inconvenient for the Empire."

"You've actually read up on us? We're flattered," Kanan replied sarcastically. Recognizing this but not caring, the Grand Inquisitor continued.

"You seriously shouldn't be; I research a great deal about a multitude of topics at my leisure. Hyperspace travel amongst an entire fleet often leaves an excessive amount of free time, such as it were."

"Why?" Ezra blurted out through grit teeth. Sabine eyed his severe expression intently. Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist shifted his gaze to the young Padawan as well.

"I'm sorry, did you say something, boy?" the casual tone with which the Dark Side master addressed him, devoid of remorse or concern, only enraged the young Padawan further. Kanan could sense Ezra's temper flaring and eyed his apprentice cautiously. Zeb didn't miss their imposing opponent as the latter studied Ezra's expression with his own eyes.

"Why did you destroy the city? Why did you drop that bomb, killing so many that had no involvement with the battle whatsoever? Tell us why!"

"Ezra…" Sabine began in a sympathetic tone, but the warped Evocii standing before them interrupted her.

"You have asked me a question, but your words raise one of my own. Do you honestly believe I can provide you an answer that will satisfy you? Quell the obvious rage burning in your heart and mind?"

"No… I don't," Ezra growled through grit teeth.

"Ezra…" Kanan joined in with Sabine in attempting to calm his apprentice. He raised an eyebrow in curiosity as she moved to Ezra's side.

The young Padawan looked over his shoulder at his female teammate, and immediately felt a calming ease began to take the place of his fury, as if her mere presence was enough to vanquish the negative, dark energy forming within him. However, the Grand Inquisitor did not miss this, either.

"Do you hate me, boy?"

Ezra immediately swung his head back to face the sinister Evocii, who had lowered his eyelids partially in an expression of indifference, and the young Padawan first decided to take a deep breath, and closing his eyes as he let it out before answering.

"No, no I don't. A Jedi shall not know hate," the tone Ezra gave as he spoke sounded calm and rehearsed, having directly quoting the teachings of the old Order. Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist merely narrowed his eyes at the display.

"Such futile absurdity. You disappoint, you little trainee."

"The time for words is over, Grand Inquisitor. I know you didn't confront us just to try and provoke my Padawan," Kanan countered sharply, and Ezra couldn't help but give an approving smirk.

"It's not often I agree with a Jedi, but you're correct on both counts," as he spoke, Nachtgeist thrust his left arm out to the side, his cloak blown back and exposing his custom-built single-hilt lightsaber. The Rebels shifted back to their fighting stances with their own weapons raised as he drew and ignited the ominous red blade. Eyeing his opponents, he then added, "One chance to surrender, one chance to hand over the general. Take it now, if you value keeping your bodies intact."

"We won't relent until our mission is complete," Ezra Bridger retorted, keeping his lightsaber raised.

"Nor will I for my own," Dunkel Nachtgeist affirmed in his tone devoid of doubt or remorse.

At that moment, both Sabine and Zeb opened fire with their blasters. The Grand Inquisitor was pinned on the defensive, but effortlessly blocked and deflected every bolt that came his way with just one hand on the hilt. Ezra and Kanan used their own sabers to shield Sabine and Zeb from any deflected bolts coming back at them.

Recognizing their defense wasn't letting up, Nachtgeist thrust his left hand forward at a downward angle, using the Force to blast the sand between them. A cloud of the particles instantly hurled at the Rebels, who had to cease their focus on the fight to shield their eyes. Only Sabine didn't need to block her eyes thanks to her helmet visor, but her vision was still obscured. Utilizing the infrared setting on her rangefinder, she quickly pinpointed the Grand Inquisitor, who blasted them all off their feet with a swipe of his left hand, causing a wave of Force energy to surge into them. Having been thrown out of the cloud of sand as it swirled around them, Zeb raised his bow-rifle at the menacing Dark Side master and pulled the trigger. Sabine did the same from inside the cloud, her rangefinder giving her a clear shot.

Nachtgeist effortlessly blocked the incoming blasterfire once again, but this time with no Jedi protecting him, Zeb was easily hit with multiple bolts, howling in pain as he fell backwards and onto the sandy shore.

"Zeb, no!" the teenage Mandalorian cried out at the sight of her older comrade going down.

"You'll pay for that!" Ezra yelled as he and Kanan dispersed the sand cloud with the Force.

The Grand Inquisitor raised his left hand again without a word, stunning Sabine telekinetically and without warning, pulling her to him at high speed. She barely had time to yelp before his fingers wrapped around her neck. Ezra and Kanan could only watch in horror as their enemy slammed her down into the ground with a loud thud, all with one hand while the other kept his saber up. The teenage Mandalorian was unresponsive, like the Lasat warrior just a few feet away.

From beneath the mask covering the lower half of his face, the Grand Inquisitor gave a knowing grin to himself, sensing the unbridled rage building in the young Padawan. Standing back up from his crouched position over Sabine who lay unconscious down at his feet, he watched as Ezra screamed in blind fury, charging at him.

"Ezra, NO!" Kanan shouted, but to no avail.

The moment he was within striking distance, Ezra brought his lightsaber down on his opponent, who effortlessly blocked two swings before kicking the young man with a boot to the stomach, knocking the stunned Padawan off to the side as Kanan re-entered the fray. Displaying his skill with the Ataru form, the recently-promoted Jedi Knight temporarily forced Nachtgeist back on the defensive, but the Grand Inquisitor countered with his own knowledge of the Niman form, it's quick and versatile parrying display catching Kanan off-guard. Knowing this maneuver was leaving him vulnerable to decisive blow, the team leader was forced back on the defensive.

By now Ezra was back on his feet with his saber reignited. Recognizing the disadvantage of facing two Jedi at once with a single blade, Nachtgeist moved to draw his second lightsaber clasped on his right side. It was a familiar curved-hilt of older design than his custom-built saber, and Kanan recognized it from his studies in the Jedi Archives. Ezra didn't miss seeing the eyes of his master go wide in surprise at the sight. The young Padawan eyed the menacing Dark Side master as the latter drew and ignited the second lightsaber in his left hand.

"That lightsaber… it was Count Dooku's!"

Ezra mirrored the expression of his master, having recognized the name from studying lightsaber forms in datacrons back on the _Ghost_ , before narrowing his eyes once more. The Grand Inquisitor merely gave a demented chuckle before he raised the hilt of the lightsaber in his left hand, as if displaying his prize for his opponents.

"Very astute, Jedi, and correct. This was the blade of Darth Tyranus, or Count Dooku as the Old Republic knew him."

"And how did you obtain that blade?" the Jedi Knight demanded. Nachtgeist simply raised his other saber before replying in an ominous tone.

"I don't have to explain anything to a group of corpses," heaving his arms back before thrusting them forward, the Grand Inquisitor launched both of his lightsabers in a spinning, double-throw.

Kanan and Ezra were both forced to raise their own lightsabers with both hands to block the incoming, telekinetically-manipulated blades. Their focus forced to remain on their defense, they barely had time to register as their opponent leaped into the air above them, recalling both lightsabers before bringing them back down on the two Jedi. Now, it was a master of the Dark Side versus both the Knight and his Padawan together. Using the power of the Force, the Grand Inquisitor used any fingers he didn't need to keep his grip to throw the two Jedi back into the destroyed city behind them, surging forward with unnatural speed to make sure he didn't lose them.

The two Jedi landed on their feet atop a segment of a wall that lay amongst the debris scattered all around them, visibility limited because of the dust cloud permeating the area around them as well. Within a moment of their landing, Nachtgeist was upon them once again, this time using the uneven terrain to keep them off-balance and force them to watch their steps. If their attention was divided, he would hold the upper hand. Perhaps realizing this strategy, Kanan came up with an idea of his own.

"Ezra, grab something with the Force and hurl it at him! He can't block our blades and blunt objects at the same time!"

"On it!" the young Padawan replied.

Grabbing chunks of metal and bedrock telekinetically, the teacher and student threw whatever they could seize with their power at their enemy, who leapt backwards to give himself more reaction time to defend against the onslaught, easily slicing through everything that came his way with his twin blades. Then, seizing both of their next objects with his free fingers, he threw both of them back, towards Kanan, who was forced to slice through both with his own lightsaber.

"Kanan!"

Upon hearing the voice of his apprentice call for him, he knew something was wrong, but the split second he had to process this was too late. The Grand Inquisitor slammed into him with both feet, drop-kicking him with a surge of Force energy, sending him instantly flying into another fallen structure behind them with a yelp.

Nachtgeist easily countered Ezra who had lunged at him with lightsaber raised once again. After blocking a number of swings from the boy's blade, he spun his right foot and tripped the Padawan to the wreckage beneath their feet. Ezra barely had enough time to raise his saber to block an incoming death blow, but the Grand Inquisitor was only using his right-hand lightsaber. He kept his left-hand blade idle, not even bothering to use his full skill with both weapons against the Padawan. Ezra narrowed his eyes as he stared into the hardened expression on the face of his enemy, who regarded the fellow orphan with a mix of curiosity and admonishment.

"You care for the Mandalorian girl, don't you?"

Ezra felt his expression immediately shift to complete surprise, a faint blush staining his face as the words registered in his mind.

"Wh-wha-whaddya mean? What's that gotta do with anything?!" Ezra attempted unknowing and annoyance, struggling to mask his shock and the uncertainty of what to say along with it.

"Your anger was already growing after I took down the Lasat, but it increased exponentially after I did the same to the female. You blindly charged at me without a thought to your own safety. That and the look in your eyes as I caught her throat in my grip said everything I needed to know. I understand that kind of disbelief, that kind of hatred," as the Evocii continued, his tone had shifted to one of insight and almost what sounded like… sympathy. His eyes even seemed a bit softer.

Ezra mentally shook his head, disregarding such thoughts. Still, he was somewhat taken aback as Nachtgeist took a step back and allowed the young Padawan to get back on his feet without resistance.

"I told you, I don't hate you. A Jedi shall not know hate," the orphan from Lothal repeated.

"That's not you talking, those are the Jedi teachings that have been drilled into your skull. Their Order always denied the basic necessity of acknowledging emotions. I suspect that's part of the reason they fell so easily in the end. You won't ever be able to achieve your goals, your ambitions, if you shut yourself off from your own reality. Be mindful of that truth if you wish to avoid becoming another body in the pile, boy," the orphan from Hutta lectured. At this moment, it almost seemed like the two weren't sworn enemies, but rather two halves of the same coin.

"Is that a threat?" Ezra asked, raising his lightsaber again. The Grand Inquisitor merely shook his head with closed eyes, before opening them again and replying.

"No, merely a warning. Strict adherence to the Jedi Code will be your undoing, like it was for the rest. I've walked the sacred halls of the ruined Jedi Temple on Coruscant. I've seen where Jedi young and old fell, victims of betrayal from within, and their own willful ignorance. You cannot deny what it is that you feel, what it is that you know."

"Even if I were willing to agree that I'm denying anything, how would you possibly know anything about what I'm feeling or thinking?" Ezra asked, narrowing his eyes slightly, alarmed at how uncertain he was suddenly feeling about the situation.

"I know because I was once like you; feeling afraid of losing what little I had left, feeling lost from having been torn from so much already, knowing nothing was certain, on the cusp of something greater than myself and unsure of what to do about it," Nachtgeist eyed the young Padawan intently, greatly interested in where this conversation was heading, even though he already knew where.

"And what… what did you do to make… to make it all stop?" Ezra asked cautiously, his hardened expression having dropped, curiosity and a hint of sadness creeping in its place.

"I embraced my power as I began uncovering every bit of it, and I decided I would do whatever it would take to effect the outcome I desired. No more limits, no more inhibitions. Only the solace of absolute certainty remained. I've never felt more complete than I am now, that I've opened myself up to the Dark beyond the Light…"

"Don't listen to him, Ezra! He's trying to deceive you!"

Both the Grand Inquisitor and the young Padawan shifted their focus to the Jedi Knight, who had picked himself up out of the wreckage he'd been thrown into minutes ago. Reigniting his lightsaber, Kanan leapt back over to his student's side. Nachtgeist narrowed his eyes, clearly annoyed at the unwelcome interruption.

"Just as I said, willful ignorance."

* * *

As this was taking place, over at the government building across the ruins of the destroyed city, HK-47, Commander Alpha, and the detachment of the 338th Legion had wiped out the Freedom Coalition holdout desperately attempting to bar their access to the Imperial hostages inside, including the governor. Now only Rajom and a lone squad of militiamen remained in front of the door on one of the upper levels that led to the meeting room that was serving as a makeshift prison cell.

"Steady boys… if we die, we're taking every Imperial dog in that room with us," the male Twi'lek lieutenant told the squad.

At that moment, the doors at the end of the corridor in front of them flew open. The cloned Imperial troopers immediately opened fire, the superior skills they boasted to their lesser counterparts more than enough to terminate the entire squad and wound Rajom before their foes could barely get off a shot. The Twi'lek crumbled to his knees on the floor, his rifle having been blasted out of his hands. He shaking drew a pistol as he gritted his teeth through the pain of his wounds, struggling to try and move back to the door that led to the hostages.

"I… I won't die like this…"

"Exclamation: If death by blasterfire isn't to your liking, I would be more than satisfied in killing you through a variety of methods, pitiful meatbag."

Grunting as he turned to face the source of the mechanized voice, Rajom raised his pistol at HK, who easily dodged the single blaster bolt fired in his direction before unleashing his flamethrower on the wounded organic, instantly setting him ablaze. Rajom screamed in agony as he was incinerated alive, no way to avoid burning to death in his wounded state on the floor of the narrow corridor. HK silently watched the carnage as he recorded it with his photoreceptors for future sadistic visual entertainment.

* * *

Back down amidst the rubble outside, Ezra Bridger and Kanan Jarrus had resumed their battle with Grand Inquisitor Dunkel Nachtgeist. The two Jedi were too distracted by their intense duel with the vicious Dark Side master to notice the imposing Imperial flagship overhead as it slowly moved towards the spaceport across the destroyed city.

Every move the Jedi Knight and the Padawan made against the Grand Inquisitor was blocked or parried, but they were holding their own as well. It seemed like it was as even a match as two versus one could possibly achieve. The ferocity of the fighting and the surging Force energies had further damaged the already demolished surroundings in the rubble that was once the capital city. Chunks and pieces of debris went flying in different directions, the wreckage of collapsed buildings breaking apart even further beneath their feet and under their blades. Displaying his incredibly honed skills with his weapons, Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist spoke up once again, his tone once again cold and without remorse.

"Escape is not possible. You will die broken and alone amongst the ruins. This feeble uprising fell. Now it's your turn, Jedi."

"We won't be dying here. Our way out is still secure!" Kanan refused to despair at their situation. He could sense the grin their opponent formed under his mask in response.

"I wouldn't be so presumptuous if I were you. I take pride in being very thorough in my work."

The sound of turbolaser fire raining from overhead in the distance caused both Jedi to turn their heads to the source. The _Furious Vengeance_ had begun aerial bombardment of the spaceport, the ensuing destruction effectively demolishing the entire surface complex in a matter of seconds. Ezra and Kanan were both horrified at the sight, knowing the _Ghost_ hadn't taken off from its perch inside the hangar bay they arrived in. There was no way Hera or Chopper could have possibly survived.

"No… NO!" Ezra stepped forward, completely focused on the heart-wrenching sight before him.

"Ezra!" the startled shout of his master came too late, for Ezra Bridger was impaled through the chest from behind with twin red lightsabers, courtesy of the Grand Inquisitor. He choked out a gasp as he dropped his own lightsaber from his slackened grip, looking down in fear at the blades protruding from his torso. It was over in what seemed like an instant, for he felt a boot in his back push him off both lightsabers as the Grand Inquisitor resumed the duel, this time with Kanan alone. Falling forward and off the edge of the fallen building they had been standing on, Ezra blacked out as he tumbled to the ground, almost missing the voice of the girl he had fallen for scream out his name in horror.

 _"I'm… sorry…"_

"Ezra! NO! NOOO!" Sabine shrieked, having caught sight of the young Padawan being stabbed from behind just as she climbed atop a pile of rubble within her firing range. She herself had regained consciousness just minutes ago.

Pulling out and arming a grenade, the teenage Mandalorian frantically hurled the explosive at the Evocii, who easily sensed the impending danger accurately enough to kick the grenade back at her without shifting his focus from the duel with Kanan, utilizing the Force to do so. Sabine barely had enough time to leap from her position before the deflected explosive detonated, the explosion engulfing said position within a second of her narrow escape. With grunt, she landed face down on the dirt, groaning as she looked up to the fierce duel going on just ahead.

Kanan was fighting with renewed purpose, knowing he may very well have just witnessed two of the most important people in his life die, with him helpless to stop any of it. He vaguely recalled while focusing on the fight that he hadn't felt this withdrawn and surging with wild abandon since he believed Ezra had fallen in the raid over Mustafar. This time however, it seemed not even this extra strength was enough to overwhelm his opponent. The new Grand Inquisitor whom he was fighting for his life against had proven without a doubt he was far stronger than his predecessor.

"Give into your agony, accept your anguish. It is not so terrible to admit you are at wit's end," Nachtgeist told Kanan through remorseless and knowing eyes as they continued fighting blade to blade.

Having crawled and finally climbed back onto her feet, Sabine ignored her injuries through pure adrenaline as she rushed around the fighting to frantically search for Ezra. Upon finding him motionless on the ground on the other side of the collapsed building where the duel continued above them, the teenage Mandalorian huffed with a shortness of breath as she rushed over and knelt at his side, nearly falling to her hands and knees in the sheer urgency of her movements.

"No… no, no, no!"

Pulling off her helmet and tossing it to the side, Sabine reached for and grabbed Ezra, pulling his limp form to her as quickly and still delicately as she could. She pressed the side of her head to his chest, desperately listening for his heartbeat. Upon hearing the faint but present thumping sound, she gasped, and before she could stop herself, felt wetness form under her eyes in pure and raw emotional relief. Her disciplined restraint be damned at this point. She could barely contain the overwhelming feelings bursting from within, and knew she couldn't for much longer. She faintly allowed a quiet sob escape her.

 _"I'm sorry, Ezra…"_

The vicious duel raged on above the younger rebels. Kanan was now at his limits, realizing that everything he had wasn't enough in this battle. Nachtgeist pressed his advantage, forcing the Jedi Knight back with every blow. Catching an opening, the Grand Inquisitor forced Kanan to keep his lightsaber raised with his left blade, while he slashed across the Human's midsection with his right blade. The wound was a grave one, and Kanan yelled out in pain as he stumbled back and fell off his feet, dropping his lightsaber as he did so. Raising both of his own lightsabers, the Grand Inquisitor prepared to deliver the final blow, the death blow. His crimson eyes bore into Kanan's brown ones, displaying his relentless resolve and intent to kill. He spoke with ruthless malice and unwavering spite, reflecting his severely low opinion of their cause.

"Your deaths shall be forgotten when the rest of your rebellion joins you in the grave. All of you have thrown your lives away for absolutely nothing."

"We fight to the end, for a free galaxy," Kanan defiantly retorted, wincing and groaning as he clutched at his injury. He let out pained shout as Nachtgeist slammed his right foot down on the arm grabbing his stomach.

"Arrogant and ignorant to the end, just like the rest of your kind, Jedi."

As he prepared to drive his twin blades through the defeated Jedi Knight at his feet, the Grand Inquisitor instantly sensed impending danger and leaped back and into the air, just in time to avoid a barrage of laser fire that would have cut him to shreds had he remained stationary. Kanan choked out a gasp with the pressure previously forcing him down dissipated. Looking over in the direction of the sudden attack, both men saw it was the _Ghost_ , with Hera in the cockpit and Chopper on the nose gun.

"So it seems your cavalry has arrived. Your pilot's more resourceful than I thought," Nachtgeist admitted as he elegantly landed on his feet a short distance back, cape billowing in the sudden gust that formed at the arrival of the Rebel starship.

"Yeah… she has a knack for perfect timing…" Kanan chuckled lightly as he groaned out the words, giving a smile in the direction of the Twi'lek pilot despite wincing in pain again.

Unleashing a second barrage of laser fire, this time coupled with a salvo of proton torpedoes, Hera and Chopper both unleashed the _Ghost's_ arsenal on the Dark Side master below in front of them. Knowing such heavy weaponry was beyond his ability to successfully counter, Nachtgeist took flight and retreated, narrowly avoiding the ensuing explosion that demolished the section of the collapsed building he'd been standing on. Without a word, he began leaping through the air and around the shattered and broken wreckage of the destroyed city around them. It was almost in the blink of an eye before he was out of sight. Kanan could sense the presence of the Dark Side fade away at his rapid departure.

The _Ghost_ hovered over the battlefield as Sabine, now with her helmet back on, carried Ezra over to the boarding ramp as Hera opened and extended the entry point. Kanan attempted to stand on his own, but was surprised to find a wounded Lasat climbing atop the pile of rubble of aid him.

"Zeb… you and Sabine found us…" Kanan gritted out in relief, both he and the Lasat warrior supporting one another with arms around their shoulders.

"We're a family, right? We stick together," Zeb replied in a likewise manner.

"Wait… where's… ugh… where's General Dodonna?" the Jedi Knight asked as urgently as he could, straining through his words.

"The gunship that shot us down circled back and the troopers took him while we were down. I'm sorry Kanan… we weren't in any shape to try and stop them… we failed," Zeb lamented as he hung his head in shame.

"We'll worry about that later. We're not out of this yet…" Kanan replied, hearing the familiar, unmistakable roar of TIE fighter engines growing closer and closer.

Sabine heard the ominous sound as well, nearly stumbling from pain and exhaustion as she carried Ezra further inside the starship. Their home. The teenage Mandalorian was grateful to have her helmet concealing her face. She wouldn't want anyone to see how much she'd let her feelings show upon finding Ezra alive.

 **A/N: Well, there you have it everyone. Now I will let you know here that this was the last chapter. I am planning a sequel to pick up where we will leave off in the epilogue, but whether or not I'll put more time into a second story will depend on the kind of feedback I receive from you, here. So please, do review and give me your thoughts! ;)**

 **I've begun formulating the epilogue now, and I expect it to be out sometime before the Season 3 premiere in one week from today. I bet all of you are looking forward to that as much as I am! Thank you for reading and again, please let me know what you think. Have a great one! :)**


	11. Epilogue: The Light and the Dark

Star Wars: Rebels: The Rising Darkness

 **Disclaimer: Star Wars Rebels and all Star Wars characters and Lore are not my property, as they are all owned by Lucasfilm and the Walt Disney Company.**

 **A/N: And here we are everyone, the conclusion of The Rising Darkness. This is it, the ending of a new beginning. Enjoy!**

Epilogue: The Light and the Dark

The moment Kanan and Zeb were inside the _Ghost's_ loading bay, Hera turned the starship and took off, the boarding ramp retracting and the doors sealing as she did so. Three full squadrons of TIE fighters were bearing down on the Rebel vessel, their pilots immediately pulling the triggers to their laser cannons once they were in range.

"I've angled all deflector shields astern. Chopper, get on the tail gun!" the rogue Twi'lek pilot ordered her longtime astromech companion, who chirped in a binary agreement.

The evasive maneuvers their pilot was forced to take made it difficult for the wounded remaining members of the team to try and navigate the interior of the ship, but they made their way into the main hold nonetheless.

"Ezra!" Kanan finally got a good look at the state of his apprentice as Sabine held the unconscious young padawan against her.

"H-he's alive, barely. I- err, _we_ , need to get him to a medical facility as soon as possible," Sabine stumbled over her words, worry evident in her tone despite herself. The three stumbled once again when the shots from a TIE met their mark on the stern.

"If the Imperials shoot us down, we're not going anywhere. Sabine, you and Zeb need to get on the guns and get those TIE's off our tail!"

"Kanan, you can take care of him, right?" Sabine asked cautiously while handing her wounded teammate over to the Jedi Knight. Zeb gave a knowing smirk as he grimaced through his own wounds.

"Of course I can, I'm his master, remember?" Kanan replied mock-indignantly, and the teenage Mandalorian felt flustered and embarrassed at her own question.

"R-right, right of course! Let's go, Zeb!" she abruptly turned and made for the turret, and Zeb ran for the nose gun.

The sheer numbers of TIE fighters made picking a target easy, the but the overwhelming amount of firepower pouring from the formations was forcing Hera to keep evasive maneuvers at a constant rate, making the task of locking target for her crew all the more difficult. In a move to try and stem the volley of lasers shooting at her ship, Hera took the _Ghost_ down to the ruined cityscape below, gliding along the dirt and dust-caked streets that were flanked and strewn with the rubble of the fallen buildings.

The ploy worked; because they were no longer pursing a vessel in open airspace, the squadrons were unable to fly at enough angles to keep firing collectively. Suddenly, to the surprise of everyone on the Rebel starship, the three squadrons soaring behind them broke off their pursuit. Sabine alerted the others over the comm from her station in the turret, recognizing this move from her studies at the Imperial Academy. At this point they were on the southeastern edge of the ruined city, not far from the Imperial blockade on the outskirts.

"This isn't good. They aren't retreating, they're pulling back in preparation for a new strategy! Hera, is there anything on the sensors?" heeding the warning of the former cadet, the rogue Twi'lek pilot checked the console for her scanners next to her steering.

"Negative, no other ships are in the area. Also no active ground vehicles in the vicinity, and we're just out of range of that Star Destroyer," with her analysis complete, the Lasat warrior gave his own input over the comm.

"Sounds like we're in the clear to me, at least for the moment at any rate."

At that exact moment, as the _Ghost_ , neared a tall section of a partially-upright, collapsed skyscraper, the Grand Inquisitor leaped from the top and barreled down into the top of the Rebel starship, stabbing his twin lightsabers into the metal plating to get an immediate grip while his cloak flapped violently in the intense wind billowing around the craft soaring at high-speed. Sabine caught sight of him out of the corner of her eye, and quickly rotated the turret to aim the dual cannons at the menacing Dark Side master. His glaring crimson eyes locked on to hers through her visor, and she felt a shiver run down her spine despite herself.

"He's back! The Grand Inquisitor is on top of the ship! Hera, knock him off!" the young artist relayed to the pilot over the comm before firing.

Nachtgeist swerved around his left saber, which remained firmly stuck into the top of the _Ghost_ after he pulled his right saber out. Maneuvering around this anchoring point, he was able to dodge every laser blast fired in his direction, and his iron grip on the saber with his left hand kept him from being thrown off as Hera began to roll and dive suddenly at random in an effort to shake him off. The rogue Twi'lek pilot shifted the deflector shields to the right side of the hull where he was perched, preventing him from puncturing through the armored plating any further. Hera attempted to shock him off with two electrical surges to the outer hull, both of which he avoided by swerving around the left saber in the air just in time.

"It's not working! I got him pinned, but we'll never get him off like this!" Sabine felt a bead of sweat drop down the side of her face as she called out to the others.

Testing the position of the deflector shields, the Grand Inquisitor slashed his free right saber across the hull at his feet, confirming they were at full power beneath his perch. Seizing the opportunity, he hurled the free blade in a spinning throw, the saber rotating at high speed as it cut straight through the top ring of the starboard engine, effectively crippling half of the _Ghost's_ primary thrusters. The vessel dropped in speed dramatically, and in an instant, Hera immediately recognized what was wrong without even looking over at the power console ringing in alarm inside the cockpit.

"Sabine! Are you all right up there?! He just knocked out an engine! I'm diverting some power back to the aft deflectors!"

"Karabast! He'll drag us down to the ground at this rate!" Zeb felt useless from his position in the nose gun.

"I won't let him!" the teenage Mandalorian urgently replied, desperately attempting to time her shots to every evasion the sinister Evocii made just outside the turret.

Quickly thinking of a new strategy, Sabine took aim and fired onto the outer hull just beneath his feet instead, knowing the deflector shields should be enough to disperse the blast on the ship, but not on the boots of their determined and fleet-footed adversary. Removing his left saber from the hull and leaping out of the way just in time as he recalled his right saber through the Force, Nachtgeist sent the latter spinning at the top ring of the port engine, but the blade bounced off the metal this time, identifying that the aft was shielded once again. So instead, the menacing Dark Side master sent the saber straight through the unshielded turret as he landed on the aft end of the Rebel starship.

Sabine was successful in ducking from in her seated position inside the turret and avoiding the saber throw, but the blade had cut clean through her firing controls as well as the back of her seat, and it had obliterated the glass dome completely. Suddenly, as her eyes locked with those of her daring opponent, she felt her spine go stiff, and her blood run cold. It was as if the piercing glare emanating from his crimson eyes was sufficient to paralyze her. She couldn't even move her arms to try and reach for her blasters that remained holstered on her hips. In complete silence, not taking his eyes off of her own, the Grand Inquisitor again pulled his spinning saber back through the Force, this time making sure it would strike the teenage Mandalorian right through her skull.

* * *

As this was taking place, down in the cabin he shared with Zeb, Ezra's serious chest wounds had been bandaged by Kanan, who still had yet to treat himself, placing the priority on his young apprentice. The _Ghost_ had a limited emergency medical supply that was sufficient to stabilize serious injuries only; they would need to seek out more professional care and soon if Ezra was to survive. The boy had appeared to be a comatose state as the Jedi Knight treated the young man's wounds, his breathing steady and his eyes closed. Kanan hadn't missed how Ezra's breathing grew more and more erratic as the battle outside seemed to intensify. Subconsciously, the orphan from Lothal was sensing the growing and imminent danger.

Kanan was startled and pulled from his focus in bandaging his stomach when suddenly Ezra's eyes shot open, his blue orbs almost bulging from the sockets as he yelled out hoarsely at the top of his lungs.

"SABIIIINE!"

In that instant out on top of the _Ghost_ , it was as though a massive outpour of raw telekinetic energy had phased through and surged out from inside the Rebel starship. Not a full second had passed, and before he could even react, the Grand Inquisitor was immediately and violently thrown through the Force and off from the top of the _Ghost_ , both of his lightsabers going with him. Sabine let out a gasp she wasn't aware she had been holding in, the immense pressure holding her in place suddenly evaporating as quickly as it formed. She watched with wide eyes as the menacing Dark Side master tumbled through the air before straightening himself and recalling both of his now-deactivated lightsabers to him. And then, he was out of sight as the _Ghost_ rounded a particularly tall, collapsed building.

Grand Inquisitor Dunkel Nacthgeist used his own power to cushion his fall as he landed atop another fallen pile of rubble. He sensed his foes becoming more and more distant as their craft sped out of his reach. He clasped his sabers back onto his belt, acknowledging they had evaded him, for now.

"Next time, rebels… next time…" his tone was solemn, and somewhere within, a hint of knowing.

Back inside the _Ghost_ , Kanan found himself unable to look away from his young apprentice, watching him with surprise and contemplative worry as he once again slumbered steadily in complete silence.

"I'm going to take us out to the countryside, try to put some distance between us and the Imperials before they can send out another pursuit," Hera relayed to everyone in the ship over the comm.

* * *

Back at the Imperial base on the edge of the destroyed capital city, the gunship that had dropped the Grand Inquisitor off at the battlefield had returned with General Dodonna under trooper escort. The old veteran's suspicions were on high as he set foot off the atmospheric craft, finding that Governor Marensioun, Colonel Veers, HK-47, and Commander Alpha along with a squad from the 338th Legion were all waiting for him.

"Good to see you, gentlemen. I commend you on the timely rescue from my brutish captors," the wary, aging army officer tried playing it safe by sticking to the ruse of being an unwilling captive of the Rebels.

"You are most welcome, General Dodonna, _sir_ ," Alpha replied condescendingly as he gave a mocking salute. It was at that moment that the general knew he had been found out. His former second in command stepped forward as the troopers standing behind him raised their rifles to his back.

"Lieutenant General Jan Dodonna, for crimes constituting high treason against the Galactic Empire, you are hereby under arrest. As per instructions from Grand Inquisitor Nachtgeist and Vice Admiral Thrawn, you are to be taken into protected custody for immediate transfer to the high security prison on Ovoo IV to await formal charges and impending trial in the high courts," as Veers finished his informative declaration, Marensioun stepped forward next. The black-haired human male began speaking in a more personal, outraged tone.

"To say that I am disgusted would be a gross understatement, general. To think you could betray me when I trusted you so confidently! I look forward to hearing your fate from behind my desk once my office is repaired!" the governor's snide aura of superiority veiled by his anger was shattered as Alpha spoke up again, replaced by absolute fear at what he heard next.

"Not so fast, governor. Orders from the highest levels were very specific. You will be returning with the fleet to Coruscant. The Emperor himself wishes to address your failure in person."

"No, wait! I- AGH!" Governor Marensioun was cut off mid-sentence as a lone trooper from the 338th stepped forward and fired his blaster while set to stun, knocking the panicking politician out instantly. He and another of his squad stepped forward to drag the unconscious governor away.

"Suggestion: I say you allow me to blast the treacherous meatbags and save the loyal meatbags the trouble," the ancient assassin droid chimed in as he raised his blaster carbine for emphasis at his words.

"Preferable as that may be, orders are orders," the veteran clone commander replied drolly.

"Anything you have to say for yourself, general?" Veers asked as he turned back to face his former superior as a trooper clapped the latter in restraint cuffs.

"Nothing except this: I'm sorry it had to turn out this way, colonel," Dodonna told his former right hand man solemnly.

"As am I, general," Veers replied in a similar tone, with a similar expression, disappointment and regret.

* * *

 _Two Days Later:_

After finding temporary sanctuary at the outlying farming community of Oradam, the crew of the _Ghost_ were surprised to find that within a full day on Ord Mantell, twenty six standard hours, the Imperial Fourth Fleet had broken from their blockade in orbit and departed the system, with a smaller battalion of navy ships taking their place, their own complement reinforcing the garrison at the ruins of Worlport.

With the massive blockade that once barred their way off-planet now gone, the Rebels were finally able to break out from the atmosphere undetected and depart from the system as well. Their destination however was not Atollon; Ezra's condition was deteriorating as he remained comatose in his bunk. They would require a much closer alternative to the medical facility on the _Liberator_ back at their unfinished base. The crew had received a tip from a local in Oradam that they could find the famous transgalactic hospital ship _Haven's Salvation_ currently in orbit over the Mid Rim world of Grakouine. Fortunately for the Rebels, the bustling industrial planet was only another day's voyage from Ord Mantell.

Having checked in under assumed names, the Rebels were relieved to find the personnel on the massive hospital ship, a converted _Lucrehulk_ -class freighter of the former Trade Federation repainted entirely in white, were willing to admit Ezra with few questions or credentials asked. Independently registered and financed, the _Haven's Salvation_ was a notable exception to the norm in that she was permitted to operate without any direct Imperial oversight. This factor allowed the crew of the _Ghost_ to breathe relatively easy as they waited on Ezra to recover. Hera was able to send word on their status back to the Rebellion on Atollon from the _Ghost_ , now that they were at last out of reach of any potential Imperial surveillance.

Two more days had passed with Ezra still in a comatose state, but his wounds that once threatened to take his life had been healed thanks to the efforts of both organic doctors and medical droids. It was early afternoon when one of the doctors, a male Muun, checked up on the state of the young Padawan and relayed some much-needed good news to a waiting Kanan and Sabine, who were seated near the young man's bed.

"Well, we weren't too sure at first, but it looks like your friend here is going to make a full physical recovery. It's truly fortunate that whatever gave him those injuries missed his heart. The surgery to fix the punctures through his lungs and ribcage is holding up, and we expect him to wake up any time now," the Muun lightly smiled under his surgery mask at the relieved expressions on the guests in the room.

"That's great news. Thank you, truly," Kanan said in a sincere reply.

"Yes, it's a great relief. He… means a lot to us," Sabine added carefully, doing her best to keep her inner turmoil over the ordeal a secret.

"Well, he's truly fortunate to have people who care. He's definitely a fighter, that much is clear to us. Now if you'll excuse me, I have several other patients to check on," the Muun informed them respectfully before walking out of the room, and Sabine shifted her focus to Kanan as he stood.

"I'm going to let Hera and the others know. You need anything?" he asked the teenage Mandalorian, who shook her head before replying.

"No thanks, I'm good, here, for now," despite herself, her eyes shifted back to Ezra, her tone growing noticeably quieter and softer as she did so. She missed the knowing smirk Kanan sent her way as he nodded and then left. He had told her what Ezra had shouted when he re-awoke just long enough to subconsciously send their relentless attacker off the top of the ship, saving her life in the process. The news had surprised her, but she also realized after everything that had transpired over the course of this mission, everything she had learned about her fellow teenaged teammate, it made perfect sense to her now. She stood up and walked over to his bedside, smiling sweetly as she watched his slumbering face. She slowly leaned in closer before she could stop herself.

"Thank you, Ezra Bridger," she whispered against his lips before kissing him softly.

And so even amidst a rising dark reality that remained ever-present, an escalating war that would go on, a ray of light would remain.

 **The End…?**

 **A/N: Well, there you have it everyone! I really enjoyed writing this story from start to finish, and your support and reviews have made it all worthwhile. So once again I give each and every one who took the time to read, as well as favored, followed, and/or reviewed my sincerest thank you and utmost gratitude. I do this for you and dedicate my work to you, my fellow fans! :)**

 **Once again, I would consider it a privilege to read your thoughts on this story one last time, so please give me your feedback and leave a review. I currently plan to begin writing the sequel soon, but that is dependent on how much I see from you guys in reviews, here. So please, let me know your thoughts! Thank you again, and may the Force be with you all! ;)**

 **Update: Due to the positive responses that this story has received, I have officially decided to go ahead with writing the sequel.** **Star Wars: Rebels: Obscured Ambition** **will be ready to debut sometime this month, with Chapter 1 already in progress. I look forward to seeing your thoughts once it's out, so keep your eyes open! I attribute my inspiration as a writer to the work of my fellow authors as well as the response I get from my readers. Each and every one of you make this possible, so again, thank you. :)**

 **As a special bonus, enjoy this short preview of what is to come, soon:**

As the young Padawan and the teenage Mandalorian advanced on their location, Nachtgeist turned to his subordinate from his position at the terminal beneath the massive bronzium statue above and relayed his orders. His expression fierce and demanding. There was no room for error.

"I need more time to finish the download. Starkiller, deal with our uninvited guests!"

"They will fall to their knees in an instant," the armored younger Inquisitor replied from beneath his helmet as he drew and ignited his doublesaber, the crimson blades providing stark contrast to Ezra's green blade.

"I've come for my holocron, Grand Inquisitor!" the orphan from Lothal demanded sharply as the standoff ensued, his saber raised at their immediate opponent.

"Ezra... remember our first priority is finding out what they're doing here," Sabine reminded her teammate in a concerned tone, both of her twin blasters raised at Starkiller as well, who regarded the two of them with a neutral expression from beneath his visor.

"The secrets of the Ancients are not for the likes of you, meddlesome insurgents," Nachtgeist tauntingly pulled the holocron in question out from his robes and displayed it for Ezra to see before continuing, "If you want this back so badly, you little trainee, you'll have to come and get it!"

And with that, Ezra charged with a roar of his frustration and anger, his path to the Grand Inquisitor firmly blocked by Starkiller, who readied to meet the incoming attack head on.

"Ezra, wait!" Sabine called out to her fellow teen, but it was too late.

So it was that atop the summit of the Temple of the Ancients, under the tropical mid-afternoon sun and beneath the gaze of the bronzium statue of Darth Revan, battle was joined at this historic location once more.

 **Update #2: The sequel, Star Wars: Rebels: Obscured Ambition, is now up!**


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